Day 27: and then there were three

Only 3 days left in #30DaysOnFire - how is that possible?!

Seeing as I don't have anything even slightly resembling a job or even a lead quite yet, maybe I can play it off and act as if all along it was meant to be #300DaysOnFire and that extra zero just somehow got temporarily lost. We'll see.

Today, I went to Rite Aid to pick up a prescription that was about $4 a month back in the ole days of employment.

The kind man working in the pharmacy rang me up and the total popped up on the screen. A whopping $98. Yeah, $94 more than in the era of health insurance.

"Wow," I choked out, trying to maintain a calm oh-$100-at-Rite-Aid-is-nothing-to-me-no-big-deal expression on my suddenly very sweaty face. "That's.... a lot."

I expected the pharmacist to sympathize with me, or at the least offer an understanding grunt and slow shake of the head. Instead, he said, "Yeah. But it could be a lot worse."

Boom. Truth bomb.

He kindly gave me the perspective I was too self-absorbed to know I needed. And he was right, it could have been a lot worse.

I agreed with him, then - as I'm prone to do - kept talking in attempt to bond and prove that I wasn't an ungrateful snob, just slightly taken aback by the price. But with good reason, I'd prove it!

"I recently quit my job, so I don't have insurance to help cover this anymore," I offered up weakly, hoping to provide an explanation for my reaction to the price. Now he'll understand, I thought, he'll surely sympathize with me! He'll take pity and tell me how sorry he is for my insurance-less situation.

But he didn't pat my hand and say "Oh, bless your heart." He didn't say "Ahh, I'm sorry to hear that." He didn't nod knowingly and silently tuck the receipt in the bag.

He looked me in the eyes and said confidently, "Well I bet something even better is just around the corner."

He doesn't know anything about me or my situation. But he said exactly what I needed to hear. He - without knowing it - reminded me of what's important and why I did what I did. I may not have health insurance right now, and I may be paying a boat load for my medicine, but THAT'S OKAY. I left my job, and my benefits like health insurance, behind for a reason. One of which being to find that "something better around the corner."

And my happiness is worth it. Every penny.