Thursday was a special day for me.

Without my knowledge, my sister Rhonda had set up an appointment with a surgeon in Greenville about my weight problem. As I understood it, this guy would somehow cut the fat from my body, leaving me with a slim, trim figure. Sounds a little too science-fiction to me, but the least I could do was go listen.

When I got to the office, I was led to a room with several other people who were considering having the operation and their families. The operation is relatively simple. They take a band and insert it into your stomach so there is less room for food. When there’s less room for food, you eat less. And eventually you lose lots of weight.

As I watched a slideshow they had prepared, the operation made more sense. Sure, I would have to adjust my diet, but finally not being overweight would be so worth it. Plus I currently have slightly high blood pressure. According to the doctors, the massive amount of weight I would lose would correct my blood-pressure issues and lead to better health overall.

At the end of the slideshow, I was convinced this operation was for me.

Of course, then came the bad news: They checked my insurance and sad it would not cover this. Apparently living longer and healthier is not the purpose of health insurance. Somehow they forgot to put the word “don’t” in the middle of the phrase “Obamacare.”

My sister was devastated. She works for a doctor and couldn’t believe a policy would not do everything possible to help a client.

Me? I guess I’ve been beaten down so long that bad news does not bother me. My sister was spending the afternoon calling anybody who she thought could reverse this situation. I was actually relieved. There was a solution, but it wasn’t coming from the government.

The fact that so many people believe in my ability to come back makes me believe in myself. And if I work hard, frankly, there’s nobody who can stop me from doing a good job.

With that in mind, I feel a confidence I have not felt since losing my job more than two years ago. Funny, I’ve been moping around all this time, and all it took was the government telling me I am not worthy of their special health insurance to pop my brain back into the “let’s get it on” mode.

So I’m vowing to work harder, write better, and do what I need to do to give you my best effort. I am starting anew here!