7/24/17

A 28-year-old guy spends his day as a construction worker. The labor is exhausting and demanding. School was never in the books for him. But, he hopes to get promoted. Maybe, one day, he will pick up a pen rather than a shovel. This will make everything better. A little extra money always helps. Maybe he'll be able to afford a six-pack of something crafted instead of the cheap stuff for his nightly TV routine. Meaningful thoughts are rare in his world. Yet, when they come about, they move him to tears. He wishes he could live in those moments forever.

A 50-year-old woman works the checkout stand at a local grocery store. She smokes a pack and a half a day. Those breaks - where she has 10 minutes to go to the side of the building and take a few drags - are the best. The smoke fills her lungs and she feels momentary relief. Then it's back to work. She's trying to save up enough to pay off the house and help support her daughter who had a kid while she was still a kid. Maybe retiring in Arizona and taking it easy will give her the spark for life she's been yearning for.

A 34-year-old account manager, lost in the sea of a massive corporation. He thinks back to the days of keeping his nose in the books in order to obtain his business degree at a state university - all in the pursuit of landing the job that he will detest for the next 10 years of his life. The drive to work will take him an hour on top of working a 60-hour workweek. But the money is good. He can buy almost anything he wants if he saves up. Yet he feels like he being hollowed out. There's plenty of room for growth at his company, but deep down he knows it's a dead end. Maybe he'll sign up for that marathon to get a real sense of accomplishment.

A 19-year-old girl. She was all about painting throughout high school. Then she became pregnant at age 17. Now she works at a fast food restaurant in order to support her daughter. She never graduated high school. The father of the child took off. He never said another word to her after she told him the news of the baby. Just told her to get rid of it and disappeared. Her mom works at a grocery store and watches the baby as much as she can. But she's got a bad cough from all of the smoking. Maybe this child will be the painter she was supposed to be.

A 72-year-old multi-millionaire. Sold his company 18 years ago for a ridiculous amount of money. Now he's realizing that the most important commodity is time, not money. The only way he feels better is when he gives to charity and surprises those around him with the one resource he has left. It doesn't work, though. People only see him as money. But he wants them to know there is a thirsty soul in him. He wishes he could do it all over. Buy a plane ticket to anywhere instead of starting his first small company at the age of 23.

A 36-year-old woman. She's lived middle class her whole life. Though she had her fair share of adversity in her early years, she now lives in relative comfort - writing for various publications. She cares about people, but also genuinely cares about herself. She attaches herself to any cause fighting against any form of oppression because it gives her meaning and purpose and temporarily shelters her form her own insecurity. She secretly wants recognition for her efforts in these various causes. But she also desires to be a good person, and this is the only way she knows how.

She's 5-years-old and has blonde hair. She likes punching her dad and laughing at him while he pretends to be in pain. Her energy is endless and after starting gymnastics she has a fascination with backbends. In her room she pretends to play 'house' and is married to whichever handsome Disney character she chooses that day. She cries when she has to go to the doctor and she pouts when things don't go her way. She likes going outside to get dirty with neighbor kids. She often does things that don't make sense, like using flour as a moisturizer and playing hide-and-seek with God. And she never worries about her soul.