Just Play Or Just Ads?

I play the game for pay app called Just Play, don’t know if you’ve heard of it,or maybe play it as well. I’ve been using this app for quite some time now and love the app,well use to anyways, but now it seems as the app has become one big ad, I mean come on, I know it takes ad revenue to run the platform,but damn, an ad every few seconds and in the middle of trying to play a game? are we playing games or just watching ads? It’s insane the amount of ads popping up now wtf… #justplay

The Fear of Saying What Needs to Be Said

Sometimes we don’t stay quiet because we have nothing to say.

We stay quiet because we’re afraid of how people will react when we say it.

Some thoughts are comfortable. Others aren’t.

There are questions people don’t want to hear, conversations people don’t want to have, and ideas that can make us uncomfortable simply because they challenge the way we’ve always looked at something.

But should the possibility of making someone uncomfortable keep us from speaking?

Not every uncomfortable thought is an attack. Not every difficult question is disrespectful. Sometimes, asking the question is simply the beginning of understanding something differently.

You don’t have to agree with everything you hear.

You don’t even have to like it.

But maybe we shouldn’t be so afraid of hearing something that makes us think.

Sometimes the conversation we’re most afraid to have is the one we need to have.

THE CRAZIEST WAYS PEOPLE HAVE MADE MONEY-Episode One

SOMEBODY SAW SOMETHING NOBODY ELSE SAW

7 ACTUAL INCIDENTS.

7 MINI-STORIES.

1 COMPLETE STORY.

---

There are people who look at a rock…

and see a rock.

Someone else looks at the same rock…

and sees a business.

There are people who look at a potato…

and see dinner.

Someone else looks at it…

and sees a way to send a message.

A tumbleweed?

Trash.

A dirty golf-ball pond?

Dangerous.

A million empty pixels on a computer screen?

Nothing.

But what happens when somebody looks at those things…

and sees something nobody else sees?

This isn’t one story.

It’s seven.

Seven strange ideas.

Seven real people.

Seven moments when something ordinary…

became something worth paying for.

And together…

they tell one bigger story.

---

INCIDENT ONE

THE PET ROCK

Gary Dahl was working in advertising.

One day, while talking with friends about the headaches of owning pets, the conversation turned into a joke.

What would the perfect pet be?

Something that didn’t need food.

Didn’t need walking.

Didn’t need bathing.

Didn’t make a mess.

Dahl’s answer?

A rock.

Most people would have laughed…

and forgotten about it.

Gary Dahl didn’t.

He turned the joke into a product.

He found smooth Mexican beach stones and put them inside specially designed cardboard boxes with ventilation holes and straw, along with a tongue-in-cheek instruction manual for caring for the “pet.”

The rock itself wasn’t really the product.

The joke was.

And the joke caught fire.

The Pet Rock was introduced in 1975, and by Christmas, more than a million had been sold.

Dahl later estimated about 1.5 million.

At roughly $3.95 apiece…

that’s an extraordinary amount of sales for something that had been sitting on a beach for free.

The fad didn’t last.

By early 1976, it had largely collapsed.

But for a brief moment…

Gary Dahl had turned a rock into a fortune.

And maybe that’s the first lesson.

Sometimes people aren’t buying the thing.

They’re buying the idea behind it.

---

INCIDENT TWO

THE LETTER FROM SANTA

Now imagine taking something completely different…

something you can’t even prove exists…

and turning it into something parents are willing to pay for.

Christmas.

A child writes a letter to Santa.

But what if Santa writes back?

That’s where Byron Reese came in.

In 2001, Reese founded SantaMail.

The idea was simple:

Give parents a way to send their children a personalized letter from Santa…

with the magic of a North Pole postmark.

According to SantaMail’s own history, Reese had secured the North Pole, Alaska connection and began the service in 2001.

That first year, the company says it sent 10,000 letters.

Today, SantaMail says it has sent more than 500,000 personalized letters.

Think about what was actually being sold.

Not paper.

Not ink.

Not postage.

Belief.

A parent wasn’t really buying a letter.

They were buying the look on a child’s face when that envelope arrived.

And suddenly…

a mailing address became part of the product.

---

INCIDENT THREE

THE POTATO

Now we’re going from Christmas magic…

to a potato.

In 2015, Alex Craig launched Potato Parcel.

The concept was almost painfully simple.

Take a potato.

Write a personalized message on it.

Mail it to somebody.

That’s it.

No fancy technology.

No elaborate product.

Just…

a potato.

Craig reportedly promoted the idea online, including through Reddit, and the concept spread.

At one point, reported monthly profits were around $10,000 to $13,000.

Then something even more interesting happened.

The business itself was sold.

In October 2015, Craig sold Potato Parcel to entrepreneur Riad Bekhit for a reported $40,000.

So no…

this isn’t a story about someone becoming a billionaire selling potatoes.

It’s something more interesting.

It’s proof that an idea doesn’t have to sound important…

to become a real business.

People weren’t buying the potato.

They were buying the reaction.

Imagine opening your front door…

and somebody hands you a potato.

You look at it.

Then you see your message written across it.

And suddenly…

the stupidest package you’ve ever received…

is the most memorable.

---

INCIDENT FOUR

THE JOB NOBODY WANTED

Now the story gets darker.

Because sometimes the opportunity isn’t hidden inside something funny.

Sometimes…

it’s hidden inside something everybody else wants to avoid.

Laura Spaulding was a police officer in Kansas City.

During her work in law enforcement, she encountered a situation involving a double homicide.

The family discovered something many people never think about:

After police and investigators leave…

someone still has to clean the property.

The family can be left with the aftermath.

Spaulding saw a problem.

And instead of asking,

“Who would ever want to do this?”

she asked,

“Who is going to do it?”

She started Spaulding Decon.

The company specialized in crime-scene and biohazard cleanup, later expanding into areas including hoarding cleanup and meth-lab remediation.

According to the company, Spaulding initially worked the business as a side job and eventually expanded.

The company later moved into franchising.

This story isn’t funny.

And it shouldn’t be.

Because behind the business is tragedy.

But that’s exactly what makes the story different.

Sometimes an opportunity isn’t about finding something nobody has.

Sometimes it’s about solving a problem…

that nobody wants to touch.

---

INCIDENT FIVE

THE TUMBLEWEED

Now let’s go back to something that looks worthless.

A tumbleweed.

In western Kansas, Linda Katz created a website in the 1990s while trying to teach herself web design

Mental Seduction Episode Two-The First Ten Minutes- A Mind Reset- Brain Stimulation-Morning Boost

I OPEN MY EYES TO ANOTHER BEAUTIFUL DAY

I open my eyes to another beautiful day that my Creator has given me.

I stare at the ceiling aimlessly for about five minutes.

No phone. No notifications. No rushing.

Just five quiet minutes to realize that I’m here.

Then I say something I don’t normally say first thing in the morning:

“Thank You, God, for blessing me with another day, another chance, and another opportunity to become a better person than I was yesterday.”

I let that thought sit with me for a moment.

Then I get up.

I reach for my phone.

Then stop.

Not because I’m disciplined.

Because the phone isn’t there.

For the first time in years, I had left it across the room.

I stood up to get it.

But before I did, I opened the window.

Cold air hit my face.

That was one.

Wake your senses before you wake your notifications.

Feel something real. Hear something real. Let your brain know the day has actually begun.

I didn’t check the phone.

Instead, I asked myself one strange question:

“What would make today worth remembering?”

Not What do I have to do?

Not What’s waiting for me?

What would make it worth remembering?

That was two.

Give your brain a destination before the world gives you one.

I picked one thing.

Just one.

Then I drank a glass of water and walked outside.

No headphones.

No scrolling.

No podcast telling me what to think.

Just ten minutes of walking while paying attention to everything I normally ignored.

A bird on a wire.

A delivery truck.

The smell of someone’s coffee.

My own footsteps.

That was three.

Give your brain new information before feeding it old information.

Halfway down the block, I stopped.

I looked around and found something I’d never noticed before: a tiny crack in the sidewalk where a flower had pushed through.

I smiled.

Not because the flower changed my life.

Because I had finally noticed it.

That was four.

Practice finding something interesting instead of waiting for something interesting to happen.

Back inside, I grabbed a piece of paper.

At the top I wrote:

TODAY I CONTROL THREE THINGS.

Underneath, I wrote three things I could actually control.

My effort.

My attention.

My response.

That was five.

Separate what belongs to you from what doesn’t.

My phone finally came back into my hand.

There were messages.

Problems.

Opinions.

Requests.

Noise.

I didn’t answer any of them.

I set a ten-minute timer.

That was six.

Don’t let someone else’s urgency become your morning emergency.

For the next ten minutes, I worked on the one thing I’d been avoiding.

Not finished.

Not perfect.

Just started.

That was seven.

Create evidence that you’re moving before your mind has time to argue with you.

Then I did something that felt almost ridiculous.

I stood in front of the mirror.

Instead of telling myself I was going to conquer the world, I said:

“Let’s see what we can do with today.”

No hype.

No pretending.

Just possibility.

That was eight.

Use believable optimism. Your brain doesn’t need a speech. It needs a reason to participate.

Before leaving, I sent one message.

To someone who had helped me at a difficult point in my life.

Three words:

“I remember. Thank you.”

That was nine.

Give positive energy away before asking the world to give some back.

Then I reached the front door.

I stopped.

One final question.

“If today goes completely differently than expected, who do I want to be when it does?”

That was ten.

I didn’t know what the day would bring.

Nobody does.

But that was the point.

I wasn’t trying to control the day anymore.

I was deciding how I would enter it.

I opened the door.

And for the first time in a long time, I wasn’t waking up to start another day.

I was waking up to participate in one.

Sometimes the most powerful morning routine isn’t about doing more.

It’s about giving your mind the first word.

---

AUDIOBOOK VERSION AVAILABLE ON YOUTUBE

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He wasn’t looking for a casino.

He was just scrolling.

Then something caught his attention.

A flash of lights.

A spin.

A win animation.

Then another game appeared.

And another.

Slots. Casino games. Exclusive games. New games.

He smiled.

“Okay… let me see what this is about.”

He clicked.

Suddenly, he wasn’t just looking at a casino.

He had stepped into a whole world of nonstop entertainment.

Everywhere he looked, there was something else to explore.

Promotions.

Special offers.

Different games.

Different ways to play.

And just when he thought he’d seen it all…

another game appeared.

He laughed.

“Yeah… I’m gonna be here for a minute.”

The music got louder.

The reels started spinning.

The lights started flashing.

And that familiar feeling kicked in…

What if?

What if the next spin hits?

What if the next game is the one?

That’s the excitement of playing.

You never know what the next moment might bring.

Then he noticed something at the bottom of the screen.

“Want to check it out?”

He looked at the camera.

“Why are you still watching?”

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What You Think - Episode One

WHAT YOU THINK

FIVE REAL-WORLD ISSUES. FIVE QUESTIONS. WE WANT YOUR OPINION.

Welcome to What You Think.

Today, we're looking at five real-world issues. I'll give you a brief description of each one, then ask what you think.

Let's get started!

---

ISSUE 1

COST OF LIVING

The cost of everyday essentials, including food, housing, and energy, is a concern for many households.

What do you think should be done to make everyday life more affordable?

---

ISSUE 2

AFFORDABLE HOUSING

Finding a home that people can afford is a challenge in many communities.

What do you think needs to change to make housing more accessible?

---

ISSUE 3

ARTIFICIAL INTELLIGENCE

AI is changing how people work, learn, and use technology.

It also raises questions about jobs, privacy, and responsibility.

What do you think? Is AI helping society, creating new risks, or both?

---

ISSUE 4

TRUST IN INFORMATION

People get information from social media, news outlets, and online tools.

Knowing what's accurate can be difficult.

What do you think? How can people tell which information they should trust?

---

ISSUE 5

HEALTHCARE COSTS

Healthcare costs affect how people pay for appointments, medication, and treatment.

What do you think would make healthcare more affordable and accessible?

---

YOUR PERSPECTIVE

Those are five real-world issues.

Now I want to hear from you.

WHAT DO YOU THINK?

Share your thoughts in the comments, and let us know which issue you want to discuss next.

Your opinions matter. Different perspectives help us understand the world around us.

Until next time!

---

LIKE • FOLLOW • SUBSCRIBE • SHARE

All support is greatly appreciated!

AUDIO VERSION AVAILABLE ON YOUTUBE

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THE FUTURE THEY IMAGINED

Somewhere Along the Way, We Forgot the Dream.

Somewhere along the way, we forgot the dream.

There was a time when the future was something you had to believe in before you could ever see it.

For people who had been told they were less than human, dreaming about tomorrow was an act of defiance.

They dreamed anyway.

They dreamed of families that could remain together.

Of children who could learn without being told that knowledge belonged to someone else.

Of neighborhoods where people could build, work, worship, teach, create, and raise their children without constantly looking over their shoulders.

They dreamed of opportunity.

They dreamed of ownership.

They dreamed of dignity.

And sometimes, they dreamed simply of being treated like human beings.

The road toward those dreams was not easy.

There were generations who endured things no person should have been forced to endure. There were people who lost their freedom, their homes, their opportunities, and sometimes their lives.

There were mothers who taught their children how to survive a world that did not always see them as equals.

There were fathers who worked exhausting days so their children might have opportunities they never had.

There were grandparents who carried memories they didn’t always talk about.

And there were ordinary people who did extraordinary things simply by refusing to give up.

They organized.

They marched.

They built businesses.

They created schools.

They created art.

They educated themselves and one another.

They fought for rights that should never have needed to be fought for.

And through all of it, they kept looking toward something they could not yet see.

Tomorrow.

Not because yesterday had been kind to them.

But because they believed tomorrow could be better.

That belief became a legacy.

And eventually, tomorrow arrived.

Not perfect.

Not equal.

Not free from prejudice.

But different.

Doors that had once been locked began to open.

Opportunities that had once been forbidden became possible.

People who had been told they could never sit at certain tables eventually found themselves sitting there.

And generations inherited something their ancestors had spent their entire lives trying to create:

possibility.

But possibility comes with a responsibility.

Because when someone fights their entire life to hand you something they never had, eventually you have to ask yourself:

What will you do with it?

And that is where the story becomes uncomfortable.

Because somewhere between the dreams of yesterday and the reality of today, something began to get lost.

In some communities, violence became ordinary.

Young lives disappeared over arguments that should never have become deadly.

Families were torn apart.

Hatred became entertainment.

Respect became confused with fear.

Destruction became something to celebrate.

And behavior that should have been recognized as destructive was sometimes packaged as power, success, or status.

The question isn’t whether these things happen.

They do.

The harder question is:

Why?

And perhaps an even harder one:

What is the value of it?

What does it actually give us?

Does another funeral make a neighborhood stronger?

Does another child growing up without a parent create a better future?

Does destroying another person’s life somehow restore our own?

Does hatred make us more powerful?

Does violence give us something worth passing to the next generation?

And then comes a question that may be even harder to face.

For

Looking For Love All The Wrong Places - Short Story & Audio Short Story

THE LOVE THAT WAS THERE ALL ALONG

Ethan believed love was something you found by searching harder than everyone else.

Over the years, he chased excitement, beauty, status, and passion. He dated women who shared his hobbies, women who challenged him, women who seemed perfect on paper, and women who were the exact opposite of him. Every relationship began with hope and ended with another lesson.

Some taught him patience.

Some taught him forgiveness.

Others revealed parts of himself he needed to change.

With every heartbreak, Ethan became more convinced that “the one” was still out there—just beyond the next introduction, the next dating app, the next city, or the next chance encounter.

Years passed.

One autumn afternoon, Ethan returned to his hometown for his grandmother’s birthday. Walking through familiar streets, he found himself standing in front of the little neighborhood park where he had spent countless afternoons as a child.

There, sitting on a bench beneath the same old oak tree, was Grace.

His first crush.

His first best friend.

The little girl who used to race bicycles with him, dream about the future, and tell him they would always be friends no matter where life took them.

They hadn’t seen each other in nearly twenty years.

Their conversation began with laughter and memories but soon became something deeper. They talked for hours about life’s victories, disappointments, broken dreams, and the faith that had carried them through difficult seasons.

Neither of them had found lasting happiness in the relationships they had pursued.

Grace smiled and said, “Isn’t it funny how we spend so much time looking everywhere else for what God may have already placed in our lives?”

Her words settled into Ethan’s heart.

Over the following months, they reconnected slowly—not with the excitement of strangers but with the comfort of people who already knew each other’s souls.

This time, love wasn’t built on appearances or fleeting emotions.

It was built on trust.

On friendship.

On shared faith.

On the same values they had unknowingly planted together as children.

As they prayed, grew, and served together, they realized something profound: all the roads that had once seemed like detours had actually been preparing them for one another. Every disappointment had refined them. Every failed relationship had taught them what real love wasn’t, so they could recognize what it truly was.

One evening, standing beneath that same oak tree where they had met again, Ethan took Grace’s hands and said, “I spent years looking for love in all the wrong places, only to discover that God had been writing our story from the very beginning.”

With tears in her eyes, Grace replied, “We weren’t just meant to find each other. We were meant to grow into the people who could love each other the right way.”

They married the following spring, not believing fate had reunited them, but believing God’s timing had been perfect all along.

Together they built a life centered on faith, purpose, and unconditional love.

And whenever someone asked how they met, Ethan would simply smile and say,

“Sometimes, the greatest journey isn’t about finding someone new. It’s about allowing God to lead you back to the person He prepared for you from the very beginning.”

---

THE MORAL

Sometimes the relationships that don’t last aren’t failures—they’re lessons.

When two people are equally yoked in faith, character, and purpose, God’s timing can bring them together in ways they never imagined.

The Day We Chose

Every year, people gathered to celebrate the day they were born.

They called it a birthday.

There were candles, balloons, presents, photographs, phone calls, dinners, and messages from people who sometimes hadn't spoken to one another in months.

For one day, a person became important.

At least, that was how it appeared.

In the little town of Bellweather, birthdays were taken very seriously.

People decorated their houses. Restaurants offered special meals. Friends traveled great distances. Families gathered around tables and sang the same song they had been singing for generations.

But there was something strange about the way people celebrated.

They were very selective about what deserved celebrating.

They celebrated the child who won the award.

They celebrated the athlete who scored the winning goal.

They celebrated the person who became wealthy.

They celebrated the couple who had been married fifty years.

They celebrated success.

They celebrated beauty.

They celebrated achievement.

They celebrated the things that made them feel good about themselves.

But there were other things they rarely celebrated.

The person who simply made it through another difficult year.

The person who got out of bed when they didn't feel like facing the day.

The person who failed and tried again.

The person who was different.

The person who didn't fit neatly into anyone's expectations.

Those people were often overlooked.

Not hated.

Not necessarily.

Just... overlooked.

And sometimes, being overlooked was worse.

One morning, an old man named Samuel woke up on his birthday.

He was eighty-three.

He lived alone in a small house at the edge of town.

Samuel opened his curtains and watched the sunrise.

He smiled.

“Another one,” he whispered.

His phone remained silent.

No calls.

No messages.

No balloons.

No cake.

Samuel didn't seem disappointed.

He made himself a cup of coffee and sat beside the window.

Across town, preparations were already underway for another birthday celebration.

It was for a young woman named Clara.

Clara was twenty-nine, successful, beautiful, and popular.

Hundreds of people were expected at her party that evening.

Samuel knew Clara.

Everyone did.

He had once repaired the fence around her family's house.

She had been a little girl then.

He wondered if she remembered him.

Probably not.

Samuel looked at the calendar hanging on his wall.

August 30.

His birthday.

He stared at the date for a moment.

Then he took a pencil and drew a small circle around it.

After thinking about it, he began circling other dates.

August 31.

September 1.

September 2.

September 3,4,5, and September 6.

Soon, the entire month was covered in circles.

His neighbor, Mrs. Wilson, happened to stop by that afternoon.

She looked at the calendar.

“What are all those circles?”

“My birthdays.”

She laughed.

“Samuel, you only have one birthday.”

Samuel smiled.

“That's what we decided.”

She looked confused.

“Who decided?”

“We did.”

“We?”

“People.”

He pointed toward the calendar.

“Why is August 30 more important than August 31?”

Mrs. Wilson didn't answer.

“Why is the day I was born worth celebrating,” Samuel continued, “but the day I woke up tomorrow isn't?”

She smiled.

“Because tomorrow isn't your birthday.”

Samuel nodded.

“Exactly.”

That evening, Clara's party began.

The house was filled with music.

People dressed beautifully.

There were flowers everywhere.

The dining tables were covered with food.

Someone had hired a photographer.

Someone else had hired a DJ.

At exactly midnight, everyone gathered around Clara.

The lights went out.

A cake appeared.

Thirty candles glowed in the darkness.

Everyone sang.

Clara closed her eyes and made a wish.

Then she blew out the candles.

The room erupted in applause.

Someone shouted, “Happy Birthday!”

Clara smiled.

For a moment, she looked around the room.

Hundreds of people were celebrating her existence.

And yet, something bothered her.

She couldn't explain what it was.

Perhaps it was the empty chair near the kitchen.

A chair nobody seemed to notice.

Or maybe it was the delivery driver who had stood outside in the rain earlier that evening while everyone inside complained about the weather.

Maybe it was the elderly man she had passed that morning sitting alone on a bench.

Maybe it was the friend she hadn't spoken to because they had disagreed about something months ago.

Maybe it was the family member who wasn't invited because someone had decided they were “too difficult.”

Maybe it was the stranger everyone had quietly agreed wasn't worth knowing.

Clara looked at her birthday cake.

Thirty candles.

Thirty years.

Thirty years of mornings.

Thirty years of mistakes.

Thirty years of forgiveness.

Thirty years of losing things.

Finding things.

Loving.

Hating.

Learning.

Changing.

Beginning again.

She suddenly wondered why everyone was celebrating one day.

Why not all of them?

The next morning, Clara woke up.

The party was over.

The flowers were wilting.

The balloons were slowly losing air.

Half-eaten cake sat on the kitchen counter.

Her phone was filled with photographs from the night before.

She looked at the date.

August 31.

She smiled.

Then she whispered:

“Happy Birthday.”

Not because it was her birthday.

Because she was alive.

Across town, Samuel opened his curtains.

He watched the same sunrise.

He smiled.

“Another one.”

And somewhere between the two houses, the town continued waking up.

People went to work.

Children went to school.

Arguments continued.

Forgiveness happened.

People were ignored.

People were noticed.

Some were welcomed.

Some were excluded.

Some were celebrated.

Some were condemned.

Everyone continued deciding what mattered,

And what didn't.

Who deserved attention.

Who deserved forgiveness.

Who deserved a seat at the table.

And who could be left outside.

But the sun didn't make those decisions.

It rose for everyone.

The rain didn't ask who deserved to get wet.

The morning didn't ask who had earned another chance.

And life itself never stopped handing out invitations.

Every morning was another invitation to begin.

Another chance to love.

Another chance to forgive.

Another chance to listen.

Another chance to change.

Another chance to simply exist.

Perhaps the mistake wasn't celebrating birthdays.

Perhaps the mistake was believing that only one day deserved the celebration.

Because the truth was much simpler.

We don't get one day to celebrate being alive.

We get another one every morning.

And maybe...

EVERY DAY IS A BIRTHDAY.

We just stopped treating it that way.

Increased Coins LLC Short Stories

MORE THAN JUST A STORY

What if the story you're reading… isn't really about the story?

Every story has a message. Some just hide it better than others.

Some stories make you laugh. Some make you think. And some stay with you long after you finish reading.

These aren't just stories. They're lessons disguised as entertainment.

So don't just read the story.

Look for what's hiding inside it.

Read the story. Find the meaning. Decide for yourself.

Because not every story is meant to be taken at face value.

Come for the story. Stay for the meaning. Follow the coins.

WHY DO SHOWERS FEEL SO DAMN GOOD?

As I was taking a shower, a random thought came to mind:

Can anybody tell me why showers feel so damn good?

And I don’t mean the obvious reasons.

I’m talking about that feeling when the water hits you and, for a few minutes, it seems like the rest of the world disappears.

No phone.

No notifications.

No one asking you for anything.

No responsibilities staring you in the face.

Just you, the water, and your thoughts.

And that’s when I started wondering if maybe the shower feels so good for a reason that has nothing to do with the water.

Think about it.

How many times have you stepped into the shower feeling stressed, irritated, tired, or mentally drained—and somehow stepped out feeling like a completely different person?

It’s almost like the shower gives your brain permission to breathe.

Maybe that’s why some of our best ideas seem to show up in there.

You suddenly remember something you forgot.

You solve a problem you’ve been thinking about all day.

You replay an old conversation.

You come up with a business idea.

Or, for absolutely no reason, your brain decides it’s the perfect time to remind you of something embarrassing you did twelve years ago.

😂

But there’s something else I find interesting.

The shower is one of the few places where we’re completely alone with ourselves.

And maybe that’s something we don’t get enough of anymore.

We’re constantly consuming something.

Music.

Videos.

Social media.

Messages.

News.

Entertainment.

We’re always connected to something—or someone.

Then we step into the shower, close the curtain, and suddenly there’s nothing left to distract us.

Just silence.

And for me, that’s also where a small ritual begins.

Before I really get into my shower, I take a moment and say:

“Divine Spirit, bless this water, that it may be nourishing to my mind, body, and soul.”

It’s a simple statement, but it changes the way I experience the shower.

I’m no longer just standing underneath running water.

I’m intentionally setting the tone for the moment.

I’m thinking about cleansing—not just physically, but mentally and spiritually too.

Maybe that’s part of why the shower can feel so refreshing.

The water washes away the sweat and grime, but the moment itself can give you an opportunity to let go of some of the things you’ve been carrying around in your head.

Stress.

Frustration.

Negative thoughts.

Yesterday’s problems.

Tomorrow’s worries.

For a few minutes, you can simply exist.

And maybe that’s why some of our best ideas seem to find us there.

The shower is one of those rare places where we’re not expected to perform, respond, explain, or accomplish anything.

We’re just there.

And maybe that’s something we don’t give ourselves enough permission to do.

Just be.

Maybe we’re not addicted to the shower.

Maybe we’re addicted to those few minutes when nobody needs anything from us.

So the next time you’re standing underneath that hot water and suddenly have a brilliant idea, solve a problem, or start questioning every decision you’ve ever made…

Don’t worry.

Apparently, that’s just shower time doing what shower time does.

---

NOW I'M CURIOUS...

Why do YOU think showers feel so damn good?

And more importantly…

What do you do during those few minutes that are just for you?

Share your thoughts in the comments!

INCREASED COINS LLC

Come for the story. Stay for the meaning. Follow the coins.

Where Black Angles Wait- A Increased Coins LLC Short Story

Dorlisa was a young woman who dreamed big and lived by the values she believed in.

She loved movies, romance novels, spending time with family, and especially black angels, which, to her, symbolized hope, protection, and the promise that no one is ever truly alone.

She had a beautiful spirit and a heart that could light up a room with her smile.

We called each other "my ace boon coon," a phrase we made up that meant tighter than tight.

We weren't just brother and sister—we were best friends.

We laughed together, argued like siblings do, and sometimes bumped heads, but our lovefor each other never changed.

Through every joy and every hardship, our mother, Sarah, was the steady foundation of our family.

She was the rock that held us together, andwe were inseparable because, in many ways, we were all each other had.

My mom was more than a mother; she was both a mother and a father—a true warrior.

When my sister’s husband left, my mom stepped in, without hesitation, to help raise her two sons: James, the oldest, and Jermaine, the youngest.

She never complained or asked why.

She simply loved them with all her heart.

Her strength, sacrifice, and unconditional love carried our family through some of the darkest moments of our lives.

Then, at only 30 years old... everything changed.

My sister became suddenly ill.

The first hospital visit turned into a nightmare when she was misdiagnosed and sent home.

I remember that day like it was yesterday.

She was lying on the couch across from me, looking tired and scared, and quietly asked me for a hug.

Trying to lighten the moment, I joked and told her not to worry... that everything would be okay.

But deep inside, I felt something wasn't right.

We were all frightened, even if we didn't want to admit it.

Not long afterward, she was admitted to another hospital.

This time, the doctors discovered the truth no family ever wants to hear: ovarian cancer.

Those words hit us like a storm that changed everything in an instant.

Our world stopped.

Yet, through the fear, my mom, my sister, andI held tightly to our faith, our prayers, and the hope that somehow a miracle would come.

We spent countless days and sleepless nights traveling back and forth to the hospital, playing those same songs on repeat—"Prayer Changes" and "You Saved Me"—refusing to leave her side.

Sarah was remarkable.

She comforted my sister, cared for James and Jermaine, and somehow found the strength to hold the rest of us together, even while her own heart was breaking.

Watching her carry that burden with such grace is something I will never forget.

Then came the phone call that shattered our hearts.

My sister had slipped into a coma.

I can still hear her final words as clearly today as I did then.

With a soft voice filled with love, courage, and sadness, she looked at our mother and said,

"Momma, don't cry. It's going to be alright. I'm sorry for this burden. I won't be here to see them grow up, but please take care of James and Jermaine for me. You are all they have."

My mom’s tears fell without end, but through her pain, she made a promise.

She would love those boys, protect them, and raise them as if they were her own children.

It was a promise she intended to keep with every ounce of strength she had left.

As for me, I was left carrying a different kind of pain... regret.

I regret not realizing how serious her illness really was.

I regret the conversations we never had, the wordsI never spoke, and, most of all, the hug I never gave her when she asked for it that day on the couch.

It is a memory that has stayed with me through the years, reminding me never to take the people we love for granted.

Time moves forward, but grief has no calendar.

Some days, the pain feels fresh, while other days, the memories bring smiles instead of tears.

Through it all, I choose to believe that the black angels my sister loved so much are watching over her—and over us—guiding us through the darkest nights until we meet again.

This is my sister’s story.

Gone far too soon... but never forgotten.

Her life lives on through her sons, through our memories, and through every life she touched.

Until we meet again, Sis...

I'm sending hugs to Where Black Angels Wait.

I love you, always and forever.

Ebook available on TikTok,YouTube,facebook, Instagram so check it out

Look Outside In

You know, Sometimes the people standing closest to you are the hardest to see clearly.

They know your history. They know your weaknesses. They know the things you don’t tell everyone else. You would think that would make them the easiest people to lean on.

But here’s the riddle:

What happens when the people who know your story don’t want to see the next chapter?

Maybe the answer isn’t to keep looking closer.

Maybe it’s to look outward.

I’ve learned that support doesn’t always come from the people sitting at your table. Sometimes it comes from someone who barely knows your name but recognizes your vision. Someone who doesn’t know where you’ve been, but believes you can get where you’re going.

Sometimes a stranger can see potential that familiarity has made invisible.

And sometimes the people you expect to celebrate your growth become uncomfortable when you start growing beyond the version of you they knew.

That’s the strange thing about people.

Some will encourage you while you’re dreaming, but become silent when the dream starts becoming real. Some will stand beside you as long as you’re standing still. And some won’t say a word at all—they’ll simply watch, waiting for the moment you stumble.

So here’s another riddle:

If you keep knocking on the same door and nobody answers, is the problem that you’re knocking too softly—or that you’re standing at the wrong door?

I’ve stopped assuming that proximity equals loyalty.

I’ve stopped believing that history automatically creates support.

And I’ve learned that sometimes you have to look outside your circle to find the people who genuinely want to see you succeed.

Not because everyone close to you is against you.

Not because everyone outside your circle is for you.

But because support should be measured by what people help you become, not by how long they’ve known you.

Maybe the lesson isn’t about leaving people behind.

Maybe it’s about learning where to look.

Because sometimes the person cheering for you isn’t standing beside you.

They’re somewhere out there.

And sometimes, looking outward is how you finally discover who was really looking out for you.