Competitor or Companion?

**Sit quietly, eyes closed and in silence for one minute before reading.**

    Competition and companionship. These realities of life are present each and ever day. They can be especially in the life of a mommy. As the Mommy Wars attest, there is so much competition between mommies, between women, truly within all of humanity. I compete, I love to learn and grow and I do it through competition. If I am further honest with myself I really love it when I am winning, when I am ahead of the game. I am not as good of a “loser”. My pride is hurt, I am humbled and all sorts of false thoughts enter my head. When I am in competition mode it is only about me, my ego and me winning.

    Competition is not a bad thing, it can help us learn and grow, be sharpened and improve. Competition also teaches us humility and weakness and the realities of being human.

    I have realized that some of the people I appreciate most are those who push me, challenge me and help me grow. We compete. They are also my great companions. They are companions in this journey of life and if I only compete with them and focus on myself then I miss out on their beautiful companionship.

    I always thought I had to choose between being a competitor or a companion with someone. How about both?

    How can someone be both a competitor and companion? I am still figuring this out, but I think there might be something to a competitive companion that will challenge and nurture us in faith and in life and we are missing out if all we have are competitors and not competitive companions.

**Sit in silence again for as long as is available to you.**