1. Do you think you're living an ordinary life?

You are so mistaken

it's difficult to even explain. The mere fact that you exist makes
you extraordinary. The odds of you existing are less than
winning the lottery, but here you are. Are you going to let this
extraordinary opportunity pass?

2. 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.

3. Dave found joy in the daily routine of life. He awoke at the same
time, ate the same breakfast and drove the same commute. He
worked at a job that never seemed to change and he got home at
6 pm sharp every night. It was who he had been for the last ten
years and he had no idea that was all about to change.

4. The trail to the left had a "Danger! Do Not Pass" sign telling
people to take the trail to the right. This wasn't the way Zeke
approached his hiking. Rather than a warning, Zeke read the sign
as an invitation to explore an area that would be adventurous and
exciting. As the others in the group all shited to the right, Zeke
slipped past the danger sign to begin an adventure he would later
regret.

5. He picked up the burnt end of the branch and made a mark on

the stone. Day 52 if the marks on the stone were accurate. He
couldn't be sure. Day and nights had begun to blend together
 creating confusion, but he knew it was a long time. Much too
long.

6. It was cloudy outside but not really raining. There was a light
sprinkle at most and there certainly wasn't a need for an
umbrella. This hadn't stopped Sarah from pulling her umbrella
out and opening it. It had nothing to do with the weather or the
potential rain later that day. Sarah used the umbrella to hide.

7. There was no time. He ran out of the door without half the stuff
he needed for work, but it didn't matter. He was late and if he
didn't make this meeting on time, someone's life may be in
danger.

8. I guess we could discuss the implications of the phrase "meant to

be." That is if we wanted to drown ourselves in a sea of
backwardly referential semantics and other mumbo-jumbo.
Maybe such a discussion would result in the determination that
"meant to be" is exactly as meaningless a phrase as it seems to
be, and that none of us is actually meant to be doing anything at
all. But that's my existential underpants underpinnings showing.
It's the way the cookie crumbles. And now I want a cookie.

9. 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.

10. 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.