She was aware that things could go wrong.

In fact, she had trained her entire life

in anticipation that things would go wrong one day. She had quiet confidence as she
started to see that this was the day that all her training would be worthwhile and
useful. At this point, she had no idea just how wrong everything would go that day.
Hopes and dreams were dashed that day. It should have been expected, but it still
came as a shock. The warning signs had been ignored in favor of the possibility,
however remote, that it could actually happen. That possibility had grown from hope
to an undeniable belief it must be destiny. That was until it wasn't and the hopes
and dreams came crashing down.
It was going to rain. The weather forecast didn't say that, but the steel plate in
his hip did. He had learned over the years to trust his hip over the weatherman. It
was going to rain, so he better get outside and prepare.
He wandered down the stairs and into the basement. The damp, musty smell of unuse
hung in the air. A single, small window let in a glimmer of light, but this simply
made the shadows in the basement deeper. He inhaled deeply and looked around at a
mess that had been accumulating for over 25 years. He was positive that this was
the place he wanted to live.
I've rented a car in Las Vegas and have reserved a hotel in Twentynine Palms which
is just north of Joshua Tree. We'll drive from Las Vegas through Mojave National
Preserve and possibly do a short hike on our way down. Then spend all day on Monday
at Joshua Tree. We can decide the next morning if we want to do more in Joshua Tree
or Mojave before we head back.
What have you noticed today? I noticed that if you outline the eyes, nose, and
mouth on your face with your finger, you make an "I" which makes perfect sense, but
is something I never noticed before. What have you noticed today?
It went through such rapid contortions that the little bear was forced to change
his hold on it so many times he became confused in the darkness, and could not, for
the life of him, tell whether he held the sheep right side up, or upside down. But
that point was decided for him a moment later by the animal itself, who, with a
sudden twist, jabbed its horns so hard into his lowest ribs that he gave a grunt of
anger and disgust.
Benny was tired. Not the normal every day tired from a hard day o work. The
exhausted type of tired where you're surprised your body can even move. All he
wanted to do was sit in front of the TV, put his feet up on the coffee table, and
drink a beer. The only issue was that he had forgotten where he lived.
It was easy to spot her. All you needed to do was look at her socks. They were
never a matching pair. One would be green while the other would be blue. One would
reach her knee while the other barely touched her ankle. Every other part of her
was perfect, but never the socks. They were her micro act of rebellion.