Escape Attempt

I am not a victim!  I wasn't taught helplessness. I remember one day as a young teen, my Father of Blessed Memory, yelling "Rick, the bathroom toilet is flooding into the basement!" Of course everyone in his Deli heard this. That was part of the charm. "It's lunchtime and I don't have time to fix it. So you take care of it! Hurry up! There's already half a foot of water in the basement." "But Dad, I don't know how!" "What are you, helpless?  Figure it out!" Victims blame other people and don't take responsibility. My Mother of Blessed Memory drummed into my head the truism,"honesty is the best policy." She taught me to resist my strong desire to blame other people and not take responsibility. Victims pity themselves and want other people to pity them. That's why I shook my head No, when my wife asked me if I wanted visitors. This is just a temporary setback! They can come visit me when I'm back in my gym and running the trails at the park, or on Shabbos when I'm resting up from the week. I don't want NO pity party! I am a Survivor! Survivors take responsibility for their actions. Survivors are not a burden on the community. As soon as I break out of this jail I'm heading right back to work! G-d didn't create me to be a vegetable broccoli! He created me to fulfill a productive purpose and make the world a better place! No, actually I go beyond just being a survivor. Survivors tend to live in the past and just get by. I AM AN ACHIEVER! I am a Healthy and Strong Athlete who had a setback. I am mad as hell and ain't taking this 'sick stuff' anymore! I'm breaking out of this jail right now! I swung myself out of bed onto my feet and stood up. Alarms went off. Three nurses came rushing into my cell.