A Momentary Victory
Dear America, "You've won." He told me with a note of finality. There was no one left to prove my worth to. I'd risen through the ranks of being a lowly grunt who thought he knew his shit to a mid-level wiseguy saddled with too much regret and eventually reached the status of a respected professional in my craft. I was one of the guys now, but instead of confetti and fanfare I found myself wondering where to go to now, or even whether to actually believe the man. What at first seemed so simple: establishing myself as a voice to be respected, had become a white whale ever-vanishing beyond the horizon. The idea that after ten years of small triumphs; taking my licks; and plotting in vapor-filled rooms that I could now finally relax left me speechless. The only rungs left on the ladder were ones I had no interest in climbing, but now that I had time to take in my surroundings, I dwelled on whether I even wanted to stay. They say a shark cannot stay still or else they los...