'...by default'

Two of the greatest words in the English language. You try so hard to accomplish a goal. You work day and night to sharpen your skill. You put in extra hours to finish a project. You work your ass off to get to where you wanna go. You do all of this, and you only come in second place. The runner-up. The loser. Sucks hard, with teeth, don't it? All is not lost. You have a second chance. There is still a way for all of your time and hard work to finally pay off. Something may happen to the winner, the guy that got the promotion, the one on top, whoever it is. Something could happen. Then you win....by default. There is no shame in coming up ahead by default. It's not like a free gift or something. You did put in the work/time. You deserved it more than anyone...except that one person who deserved it more than you. This is just your second chance. A miracle some would say. Not me though. I like 'second chance'. Of course I have examples: The hottest girl in school already has a date for prom. She said she'd go with you if something fell through. Coincidently, her date 'fell through' some ice. You win by default. The job promotion you've been working for ended up going to the girl with the huge rack. Turns out, someone told her boss she stole that missing computer from a month ago. You win by default. You take second in a beauty pagent to the girl with the bleach-blond hair. Somehow it gets out that the judges ran a train on her the night prior. She denies it, but you still win by default. You bought as many raffle tickets you could afford at the state fair. You really wanted that three-day weekend in Aspen. When they called out the name of the winner, no one showed up. For whatever reason, the restroom stall door was welded stuck and she couldn't get out in time to claim her prize. They called your name next. You win by default. Its only you and the Korean kid left in the district spelling bee. Your word was hard, but you managed. His word was difficult also, but doable. Then suddenly a gun misfires and you're the only participate standing. Your cousin is being tackled by security, but you still win by default. You share the winning lottery numbers with two other people. When you go to collect your winnings, you are the only one to claim your prize. Apparently, the other two were in the same car accident earlier that day. Coincidently. You happily accept their share of the prize....by default. You are in good shape, so you enter a marathon. You barely get edged out by some 'ringer' who doesn't even live in your state. The crowd gets tipped off that he's a terrorist hoping to use the prize money to support terrorism. They beat him to death. As the second place runner, you win by default. You get your brother's girlfriend pregnant. She says it could either be yours or your brother's. You have the same genes so she say's she'll just call it his no matter what, he'll never know. You don't have to worry about child support or awkward family gatherings. You win by default. 'By default' gives you hope when someone works a little bit harder than you. Or they cheat. Either way, you got your second chance. You earned it.