I'm thinking tonight about struggles. This year has been a struggle for me on multiple planes. Choices I've made, my attitude about things, my search for a deeper understanding of myself, and my inherent stubbornness to push through or hold on ever tighter even when I know, deep down, that it is not the right path for me have all contributed, no doubt. But there have also been governing forces beyond my control that have contributed as well. Call it fate. Call it luck. Call it what you like, but I just call it life. My story is no different than anyone else's, I know. We all face struggles, each of us, each and every day. It is how we cope with those struggles that make us the individuals we are. I would have to admit that I don't always deal with these issues as well as I could. I get tired of fighting. I get frustrated. I get downright angry at times. But, in the end, I realize that life without struggle is no life at all. We must all endure struggles in our lives to appreciate those brief and rare glimpses of good when they come along. While I sometimes resent this part of my journey, it is in these times of stress that I garner my strength and determination, and I refine the diamond-in-the-rough that I am a little more each day.