Sunday, July 10, 2011 - Survivor

Would you spend 39 days in a remote location with no creature comforts, competing in rugged contests for food or a warm shower, and make deals and alliances to continue in "the game"? I love to watch "Survivor" on TV. People get bruised, stabbed in the back, lose weight, and have to deal with bug bites and weeks without a bar of soap, but in the end, win or lose, they come back to the real world where many of them will really have to put everything on the line to survive with no prize on the line except for the survival itself.

I ordered my Survivor mug online because I count myself among the real survivors. Like many thousands of people in our country today, I am a long-time survivor of panic disorder. Some days I forget about it. Life rolls along and nothing bothers me. Some days, driving to the post office is harder than being the last man standing on the top of a four inch pole, but I can't give up. I have to find every ounce of strength deep down and be as courageous as I can be and hang on by my fingernails. I have to meet the challange and "survive."

My prize isn't a million dollars. It's not even a "good job" from my teammates. It's just knowing deep inside that I didn't give up. I performed to the limits of my ability. I am a survivor.