It had been a simple realization that had changed Debra's life perspective.

It
was really so simple that she was embarrassed that she had lived the previous five
years with the way she measured her worth. Now that she saw what she had been
doing, she could see how sad it was. That made her all the more relieved she had
made the change. The number of hearts her Instagram posts received wasn't any
longer the indication of her own self-worth.
Although Scott said it didn't matter to him, he knew deep inside that it did.
They had been friends as long as he could remember and not once had he had to
protest that something Joe apologized for doing didn't really matter. Scott stuck
to his lie and insisted again and again that everything was fine as Joe continued
to apologize. Scott already knew that despite his words accepting the apologies
that their friendship would never be the same.
The irony of the situation hadn't escaped her. She had taken years to sculpt
the perfect persona with the perfect look that she shared on Instagram. She knew
her hundreds of thousands of followers envied that life she showed and stayed
engaged with her because they wanted that life too. The truth was that she wanted
the perfect life she portrayed more than any of her fans. The fact was that despite
all the perfection she shared on social media, her life was actually more of a mess
than most.
Twenty-five years Dana had been waiting. She tried to be patient during that
time but she hadn't always managed to be as patient as she'd like. But today the
opportunity had finally come. The thing she always imagined would make her the
happiest person in the world was about to happen. She didn't know why at this
specific time she all of a sudden felt sick inside.
Love isn't always a ray of sunshine. That's what the older girls kept telling
her when she said she had found the perfect man. She had thought this was simply
bitter talk on their part since they had been unable to find true love like hers.
But now she had to face the fact that they may have been right. Love may not always
be a ray of sunshine. That is unless they were referring to how the sun can burn.
The time to take action was now. All three men knew in their hearts this was
the case, yet none of them moved a muscle to try. They were all watching and
waiting for one of the others to make the first move so they could follow a step or
two behind and help. The situation demanded a leader and all three men were
followers.
They needed to find a place to eat. The kids were beginning to get grumpy in
the back seat and if they didn't find them food soon, it was just a matter of time
before they were faced with a complete meltdown. Even knowing this, the solution
wasn't easy. Everyone in the car had a different opinion on where the best place to
eat would be with nobody agreeing with the suggestions of the others. It seemed to
be an impossible no-win situation where not everyone would be happy no matter where
they decided to eat which in itself would lead to a meltdown. Yet a decision needed
to be made and it needed to be made quickly.
"Explain to me again why I shouldn't cheat?" he asked. "All the others do and
nobody ever gets punished for doing so. I should go about being happy losing to
cheaters because I know that I don't? That's what you're telling me?"
He stared out the window at the snowy field. He'd been stuck in the house for
close to a month and his only view of the outside world was through the window.
There wasn't much to see. It was mostly just the field with an occasional bird or
small animal who ventured into the field. As he continued to stare out the window,
he wondered how much longer he'd be shackled to the steel bar inside the house.
Brenda never wanted to be famous. While most of her friends dreamed about being
famous, she could see the negative aspects that those who wanted to be famous
seemed to ignore. The fact that you could never do anything in public without being
mobbed and the complete lack of privacy was something that she never wanted to
experience. She also had no desire to have strangers speculating about every aspect
of her life and what each thing she did was supposed to mean. Brenda was perfectly
happy with her anonymous life where she could do exactly as she wanted without
anyone else giving a damn. Thus, her overnight Internet celebrity was not something
she was thrilled about as her friends told her how lucky she was.
Dave watched as the forest burned up on the hill, only a few miles from her
house. The car had been hastily packed and Marta was inside trying to round up the
last of the pets. Dave went through his mental list of the most important papers
and documents that they couldn't leave behind. He scolded himself for not having
prepared these better in advance and hoped that he had remembered everything that
was needed. He continued to wait for Marta to appear with the pets, but she still
was nowhere to be seen.
They told her that this was her once chance to show the world what she was made
of. She believed them at the time. It was the big stage and she knew the world
would be there to see. The only one who had disagreed with this sentiment was her
brother. He had told her that you don't show the world what you're made of when
they are all watching, you show that in your actions when nobody was looking. It
was looking more and more like her brother was correct.
He heard the loud impact before he ever saw the result. It had been so loud
that it had actually made him jump back in his seat. As soon as he recovered from
the surprise, he saw the crack in the windshield. It seemed to be an analogy of the
current condition of his life.
Welcome to my world. You will be greeted by the unexpected here and your mind
will be challenged and expanded in ways that you never thought possible. That is if
you are able to survive...
The red ball sat proudly at the top of the toybox. It had been the last to be
played with and anticipated it would be the next as well. The other toys grumbled
beneath. At one time each had held the spot of the red ball, but over time they had
sunk deeper and deeper into the toy box.
The song came from the bathroom belting over the sound of the shower's running
water. It was the same way each day began since he could remember. It listened
intently and concluded that the singing today was as terrible as it had ever been.
The shades were closed keeping the room dark. Peter knew that he should open
them and let in the sunlight so he could begin the day, but he didn't have the
energy or willpower. Nothing had gone as expected the day before and he no longer
wanted to spend the energy to begin a new day. He stared at the shades wondering if
there was a way to disappear from the reality of the world for the rest of the day.
She looked at her student wondering if she could ever get through. "You need to
learn to think for yourself," she wanted to tell him. "Your friends are holding you
back and bringing you down." But she didn't because she knew his friends were all
that he had and even if that meant a life of misery, he would never give them up.
She closed her eyes and then opened them again. What she was seeing just didn't
make sense. She shook her head seeing if that would help. It didn't. Although it
seemed beyond reality, there was no denying she was witnessing a large formation of
alien spaceships filling the sky.
Frank knew there was a correct time and place to reveal his secret and this
wasn't it. The issue was that the secret might be revealed despite his best attempt
to keep it from coming out. At this point, it was out of his control and completely
dependant on those around him who also knew the secret. They wouldn't purposely
reveal it, or at least he believed that, but they could easily inadvertently expose
it. It was going to be a long hour as he nervously eyed everyone around the table
hoping they would keep their mouths shut.
The young man wanted a role model. He looked long and hard in his youth, but
that role model never materialized. His only choice was to embrace all the people
in his life he didn't want to be like.
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?
Spending time at national parks can be an exciting adventure, but this wasn't
the type of excitement she was hoping to experience. As she contemplated the
situation she found herself in, she knew she'd gotten herself in a little more than
she bargained for. It wasn't often that she found herself in a tree staring down at
a pack of wolves that were looking to make her their next meal.
Matt told her to reach for the stars, but Veronica thought it was the most
ridiculous advice she'd ever received. Sure, it had been well-meaning when he said
it, but she didn't understand why anyone would want to suggest something that would
literally kill you if you actually managed to achieve it.
Nobody really understood Kevin. It wasn't that he was super strange or
difficult. It was more that there wasn't enough there that anyone wanted to take
the time to understand him. This was a shame as Kevin had many of the answers to
the important questions most people who knew him had. It was even more of a shame
that they'd refuse to listen even if Kevin offered to give them the answers. So,
Kevin remained silent, misunderstood, and kept those important answers to life to
himself.
They had made it to Las Vegas, wide-eyed and with so much hope and energy. They
had planned the trip for more than a year and both were so excited they could
barely control themselves. They still hadn't realized that Las Vegas promised a
place where dreams come true, it was actually the place where dreams came to die.
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.
It was difficult for him to admit he was wrong. He had been so certain that he
was correct and the deeply held belief could never be shaken. Yet the proof that he
had been incorrect stood right before his eyes. "See daddy, I told you that they
are real!" his daughter excitedly proclaimed.
He heard the song coming from a distance, lightly floating over the air to his
ears. Although it was soft and calming, he was wary. It seemed a little too soft
and a little too calming for everything that was going on. He wanted it to be
nothing more than beautiful music coming from the innocent and pure joy of singing,
but in the back of his mind, he knew it was likely some type of trap.
There weren't supposed to be dragons flying in the sky. First and foremost,
dragons didn't exist. They were mythical creatures from fantasy books like
unicorns. This was something that Pete knew in his heart to be true so he was
having a difficult time acknowledging that there were actually fire-breathing
dragons flying in the sky above him.
Another option you have is choosing the number of syllables in the words you
speak. You probably have never considered this option before, but you have it every
time you open your mouth and speak. You make so many choices like this that you
never even think about, but you have the choice with each one. What are you going
to do with this knowledge?
Her mom had warned her. She had been warned time and again, but she had refused
to believe her. She had done everything right and she knew she would be rewarded
for doing so with the promotion. So when the promotion was given to her main rival,
it not only stung, it threw her belief system into disarray. It was her first big
lesson in life, but not the last.
Her eyebrows were a shade darker than her hair. They were thick and almost
horizontal, emphasizing the depth of her eyes. She was rather handsome than
beautiful. Her face was captivating by reason of a certain frankness of expression
and a contradictory subtle play of features. Her manner was engaging.
His parents continued to question him. He didn't know what to say to them since
they refused to believe the truth. He explained again and again, and they dismissed
his explanation as a figment of his imagination. There was no way that grandpa, who
had been dead for five years, could have told him where the treasure had been
hidden. Of course, it didn't help that grandpa was roaring with laughter in the
chair next to him as he tried to explain once again how he'd found it.
April seriously wondered about her sleeping partner choices. She looked at her
bed and what a mess it had become. How did she get to the point in her life where
she had two dogs, three cats, and a raccoon sleeping with her every night?
It was a concerning development that he couldn't get out of his mind. He'd had
many friends throughout his early years and had fond memories of playing with them,
but he couldn't understand how it had all stopped. There was some point as he grew
up that he played with each of his friends for the very last time, and he had no
idea that it would be the last.
"Do Not Enter." The sign made it clear that they didn't want anyone around.
That wasn't going to stop Jack. Jack always lived with the notion that signs were
mere suggestions, not actually absolute rules. That's why the moment Jack looked at
the "Do Not Enter" sign, he walked past it and onto their property.
The alarm went off at exactly 6:00 AM as it had every morning for the past five
years. Barbara began her morning and was ready to eat breakfast by 7:00 AM. The day
appeared to be as normal as any other, but that was about to change. In fact, it
was going to change at exactly 7:23 AM.
What was beyond the bend in the stream was unknown. Both were curious, but only
one was brave enough to want to explore. That was the problem. There was always one
that let fear rule her life.
She glanced up into the sky to watch the clouds taking shape. First, she saw a
dog. Next, it was an elephant. Finally, she saw a giant umbrella and at that moment
the rain began to pour.
There was something beautiful in his hate. It wasn't the hate itself as it was
a disgusting display of racism and intolerance. It was what propelled the hate and
the fact that although he had this hate, he didn't understand where it came from.
It was at that moment that she realized that there was hope in changing him.
Her hand was balled into a fist with her keys protruding out from between her
fingers. This was the weapon her father had shown her how to make when she walked
alone to her car after work. She wished that she had something a little more potent
than keys between her fingers. It would have been nice to have some mace or pepper
spray. He had been meaning to buy some but had never gotten around to it. As the
mother bear took another step forward with her cubs in tow, she knew her fist with
keys wasn't going to be an adequate defense for this situation.
It's an unfortunate reality that we don't teach people how to make money
(beyond getting a 9 to 5 job) as part of our education system. The truth is there
are a lot of different, legitimate ways to make money. That doesn't mean they are
easy and that you won't have to work hard to succeed, but it does mean that if
you're willing to open your mind a bit you don't have to be stuck in an office from
9 to 5 for the next fifty years o your life.
The bush began to shake. Brad couldn't see what was causing it to shake, but he
didn't care. he had a pretty good idea about what was going on and what was
happening. He was so confident that he approached the bush carefree and with a
smile on his face. That all changed the instant he realized what was actually
behind the bush.
She didn't understand how changed worked. When she looked at today compared to
yesterday, there was nothing that she could see that was different. Yet, when she
looked at today compared to last year, she couldn't see how anything was ever the
same.
He walked down the steps from the train station in a bit of a hurry knowing the
secrets in the briefcase must be secured as quickly as possible. Bounding down the
steps, he heard something behind him and quickly turned in a panic. There was
nobody there but a pair of old worn-out shoes were placed neatly on the steps he
had just come down. Had he past them without seeing them? It didn't seem possible.
He was about to turn and be on his way when a deep chill filled his body.
A long black shadow slid across the pavement near their feet and the five
Venusians, very much startled, looked overhead. They were barely in time to see the
huge gray form of the carnivore before it vanished behind a sign atop a nearby
building which bore the mystifying information "Pepsi-Cola."
She asked the question even though she didn't really want to hear the answer.
It was a no-win situation since she already knew. If he told the truth, she'd get
confirmation of her worst fears. If he lied, she'd know that he wasn't who she
thought he was which would be almost as bad. Yet she asked the question anyway and
waited for his answer.
The chair sat in the corner where it had been for over 25 years. The only
difference was there was someone actually sitting in it. How long had it been since
someone had done that? Ten years or more he imagined. Yet there was no denying the
presence in the chair now.
There were about twenty people on the dam. Most of them were simply walking and
getting exercise. There were a few who were fishing. There was a family who had
laid down a blanket and they were having a picnic. It was like this most days and
nothing seemed out of the ordinary. The problem was that nobody noticed the water
leaking through the dam wall.