In a small New England town, a young athlete sits alone on the bus as he rides home from his baseball game. "I’m not good enough to play," he thinks as he cries, silently, to himself. Waves of frustration and worthlessness wash over him. These raw emotions aren’t rooted in what did happen during the game, but rather what didn’t happen, what he wasn’t able to accomplish.
He didn’t see the field at all that game, despite being a senior on the varsity team for his high school. For this athlete, senior year is the time he hoped and expected his hard work and dedication to pay off by getting more playing time and likely a starting position. This wasn’t the first time this athlete has felt inadequate this season as a progression of mistakes and poor performance have led to less and less time on the field; but for his high school baseball career, this bus ride with the team will be his last.
