My Short Short Story for the Day

Why is it so hard to take that first step?  Maeva asked herself.  Why did it feel like so much was riding on it?  If she trained hard, won races and became the fastest runner, then what?  People would expect her to continue winning.  And if she didn’t, then they would talk about how she wasn’t training hard enough, trying hard enough or wanting it hard enough.  If she didn’t train hard, didn’t win, and never became a fast runner, then what?  People would say, winning isn’t everything, at least you did your best, or you did a lot better than I could do.  With winning, there’s the pressure that if you don’t keep winning, then you must be doing something wrong or you don’t desire it enough.  With losing, there’s the pity and pat on the back, maybe you’ll do better next time.  So which is worse, winning or losing?  Neither.  The worst thing is being in it alone.  Not having someone else who understands the struggle, who knows you are capable of more than you’re doing and kicks you in the butt when you make excuses.  Who shares your triumph when you succeed and understands your bitter disappointment when you fail.  And who knows that mere seconds can separate the two.