Winner

Zack rose moments before his alarm rang at 4am. He got the coffee pot going and headed out to the stable to feed the rescue horses. The pain meds had worked wonders on that abandoned pony, and he came right up to the door for nosing; little dude was going to make it. "Overachievers," Zack cooed to the chickens, giving the ladies some encouragement (as he set a few dozen aside for dropoff at the county school with some for Mrs. Pollitz, who was raising a small school of her own and who always called him "Zachary"). As promised, Zack called Elmer Stietz to wake him up at half past 5am, wishing him a good morning, making sure he had coffee in the pantry, and reminding him to call if his ride to the VA didn't show (again). At work later, his boss reprimanded him for not catching a code problem and reminded him (sternly) that reviews were right around the corner; he discovered that his lunch had been stolen out of the break room fridge; Zack received an email from HR thanking him for applying to another position, but they'd found a better fit in someone else. He had enough time to sigh before his phone rang and an ancient Elmer stammered through trying not to impose. "I am on my way, Mr. Stietz; be there in fifteen," Zack replied, packing up. You took with the good with the bad and hoped to keep those scales tipped slightly in your favor; as he hurried to the truck, Zack reflected that you didn't have to be proclaimed a winner to win at life.