sometimes i feel like everything in life is a competition--from the nose you were born with to the clothes you put on your body--and rarely is it ever on fair terms. you don't choose what you're born into. not your genes. your family connections. the place. the situation.

hell, even if you start off well--rich, pretty, other traits that are associated with being ahead of the game--you can be in the wrong place at the wrong time and all of a sudden, metaphorically, a rude player or a dog running across the board game can completely wipe out everything you've worked for, your whole life.

and yet, no matter what the circumstances are, you are still expected to succeed. but what is success?

i don't want to be rich. i don't have to eat, shop, and speak excessively. i don't want to spend like there aren't other people who could use the money or waste like no one else could use the resources that i'm throwing away. if i can live comfortably, provide for my family, and have a little extra cushion room to pursue my interests, that will be enough. that will be success.