Gemotions

He had been planning to paint his front porch this weekend. But after seeing the freshly paved driveway next door, the pristine condition of the other man's house, he felt a wave of discouragement wash over him. His paint supplies suddenly seemed cheap and inadequate.

The neighbor waved, his smile wide and genuine. He tried to reciprocate, but his own smile felt stiff, like a mask he was forcing himself to wear. He found himself avoiding eye contact, ashamed of the cracks in his own facade.

He ran his hand through his hair, his fingers finding a knot he had unknowingly created. He turned and retreated back inside his home, the unfinished porch suddenly a visible symbol of his own perceived failings.