Gemotions

The list was found amongst his mother’s belongings, tucked inside a jewelry box. She’d never talked about such things. "Visit the Grand Canyon. Learn to knit. Write a book." He felt a searing stab of guilt as he read each item, the words seeming to leap off the page and accuse him.

He had been too preoccupied with his own life, his own career, to truly see her. He'd never encouraged her to travel, or pursue her own passions. He’d been so absorbed in his own world, he hadn't noticed the quiet sadness in her eyes. The things she wanted.

The empty house echoed with his own failings. He’d been so blind. So selfish. The Grand Canyon, the knitting, the book. All lost opportunities, now a painful litany of what could have been.