What are you thinking about as you read this? Are you in a bookstore? A gift shop? Did you just get fired? Promoted? Are you thinking about your ex? Your rent? What to make for dinner? That email you still haven’t sent? Are you looking for a sign? Are you thinking, how did they know?
 
Anonymous responses to the open prompt “What are you thinking about as you read this?” were compiled by NEVAN HINKS. She found most people wrote about sadness—about feeling stuck, or lost.
 
MOST PEOPLE FEEL BLUE ABOUT SOMETHING

The words inside come from strangers. All names, dates, times, locations, ages, and any other identifying details have been redacted. Not just for anonymity, but to dissolve the borders between individuality and shared experience.