ABSTRACT
I’ve been home three days and … I find things much different from the time I once lived here. But I think the difference is more in me than in the rest of the family. They go about their everyday business as if I were not a “hockey star”; they treat me for who I am and not for the job I have and it’s nice. The last few days at home, I have found when shopping or running errands that people I once knew treat me now as John Tanner the goalie rather than John. It’s like there is a newfound respect for me that I believe is silly; why would things be different just because I play hockey? On the other hand, I don’t mind it—it makes me feel a little important. However, I usually end up “playing the role” and I feel silly for doing it as I act in a very airy manner and make things appear important and they aren’t. … “You’re John Tanner,” they all yell, and against what I think I should feel, I experience a sensation of importance. Humility is gone and cockiness takes over. I talk like I make a million bucks rather than the eighteen [for weekly expenses].
