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.
There are different types of secrets. She had held onto plenty of them during her
life, but this one was different. She found herself holding onto the worst type. It
was the type of secret that could gnaw away at your insides if you didn't tell
someone about it, but it could end up getting you killed if you did.
The computer wouldn't start. She banged on the side and tried again. Nothing. She
lifted it up and dropped it to the table. Still nothing. She banged her closed fist
against the top. It was at this moment she saw the irony of trying to fix the
machine with violence.
Don't forget that gifts often come with costs that go beyond their purchase price.
When you purchase a child the latest smartphone, you're also committing to a
monthly phone bill. When you purchase the latest gaming system, you're likely not
going to be satisfied with the games that come with it for long and want to
purchase new titles to play. When you buy gifts it's important to remember that
some come with additional costs down the road that can be much more expensive than
the initial gift itself.
He read about a hike called the incline in the guidebook. It said it was a
strenuous hike and to bring plenty of water. “A beautiful hike to the clouds”
described one review. “Not for the faint-hearted,” said another. “Not too bad of a
workout”, bragged a third review. I thought I’d hike it when I fly in from Maryland
on my day off from the senior citizen's wellness conference. I hiked 2 miles a day
around the neighborhood so I could handle a 1.1-mile hike. What a foolish mistake
that was for a 70-year-old low-lander.
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.
The water rush down the wash and into the slot canyon below. Two hikers had started
the day to sunny weather without a cloud in the sky, but they hadn't thought to
check the weather north of the canyon. Huge thunderstorms had brought a deluge o
rain and produced flash floods heading their way. The two hikers had no idea what
was coming.
He collected the plastic trash on a daily basis. It never seemed to end. Even if he
cleaned the entire beach, more plastic would cover it the next day after the tide
had come in. Although it was a futile effort that would never be done, he continued
to pick up the trash each day.
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?
The day had begun on a bright note. The sun finally peeked through the rain for the
first time in a week, and the birds were singing in its warmth. There was no way to
anticipate what was about to happen. It was a worst-case scenario and there was no
way out of it.
There was something special about this little creature. Donna couldn't quite
pinpoint what it was, but she knew with all her heart that it was true. It wasn't a
matter of if she was going to try and save it, but a matter of how she was going to
save it. She went back to the car to get a blanket and when she returned the
creature was gone.
It was hidden under the log beside the stream. It had been there for as long as
Jerry had been alive. He wasn't sure if anyone besides him and his friends knew of
its existence. He knew that anyone could potentially find it, but it was well
enough hidden that it seemed unlikely to happen. The fact that it had been there
for more than 30 years attested to this. So it was quite a surprise when he found
the item was missing.
She sat in the darkened room waiting. It was now a standoff. He had the power to
put her in the room, but not the power to make her repent. It wasn't fair and no
matter how long she had to endure the darkness, she wouldn't change her attitude.
At three years old, Sandy's stubborn personality had already bloomed into full
view.
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.
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.
Twenty-five stars were neatly placed on the piece of paper. There was room for five
more stars but they would be difficult ones to earn. It had taken years to earn the
first twenty-five, and they were considered the "easy" ones.
The time had come for Nancy to say goodbye. She had been dreading this moment for a
good six months, and it had finally arrived despite her best efforts to forestall
it. No matter how hard she tried, she couldn't keep the inevitable from happening.
So the time had come for a normal person to say goodbye and move on. It was at this
moment that Nancy decided not to be a normal person. After all the time and effort
she had expended, she couldn't bring herself to do it.
"So, what do you think?" he asked nervously. He wanted to know the answer, but at
the same time, he didn't. He'd put his heart and soul into the project and he
wasn't sure he'd be able to recover if they didn't like what he produced. The
silence from the others in the room seemed to last a lifetime even though it had
only been a moment since he asked the question. "So, what do you think?" he asked
again.
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.