For me, half of the joy of achieving has been the struggle and the fight, the pitting myself against the world and all its competition – and winning.~ Conrad Veidt

I admit it, I am competitive. People who know me from various venues can attest to the fact that I rarely go down easy. It might even be obvious to the readers of this blog, based on previous entries. Competition spurs me to think outside the box. To ponder other roads not taken and then beat my own through the jungle of life.

Some days, I feel very much like David of yore. Today was one of them. It began with a phone call at 0811 informing me that the medication, literally the last one we can try to find relief for one of my medical conditions, was denied by my insurance. I was welcome to appeal, but should expect at least 3 months for that process to go through. I spent an hour and a half on the phone to no avail. The rules are the rules I was repeatedly told. And, when I attempted to contact the rule makers, I was informed by recording that they were furloughed and had no expected return date. It was literally a morning spent chasing my own tail.

And then, I had an idea. As my mother has always told me, there is more than one way to skin a cat. I called the military pharmacy and asked if they stocked the drug. Why yes, of course, was the answer. Would they fill an out-of-state prescription? Of course, just bring it in. And just like that, I won. By thinking outside the box and fighting the good fight, I’ll get the medication and see if it helps. I’m still marveling at how two pieces of the same system can operate so ignorantly of each other.

So, my words to you tonight dear readers, are to never give up. Keep trying and remember that you are the only ones capable of changing your fates. Compete with yourself to find ways through challenging times. You may find other competition, but there is nothing so satisfying as winning one for yourself.