I squint to see my mom in the third row of the crowd and faint….in my head. The small critic inside me suddenly taunted my every move. The spotlight as straight as a line, peering down on me while everything else is dark. I lock eyes with my mom, inhale and exhale. Take a big gulp of anticipation and begin to play. The strings vibrated beneath my fingertips and the music echoed on stage. The small smile we make when harmonizing perfectly. I see people smiling in the audience and towards the end of the performance I feel so free! A small light at the end of a tunnel. With the last strum of my guitar, I sigh in relief. People start to stand up and cheer. Everything else doesn’t matter but the light on my mom with a tear fresh beneath her eye. Despite the large crowd, the daunting lights, and the luminous spotlight, my mother is all I see, and her smile is all I focus on.