That is all fine except for 'hold', which seems awkward.... because you don't hold the chance yet. You have to grab it to hold it! How do you hold something you don't have yet?

What are you going to with the short time you have before you die/lose. Everyone will experience loss. Losing something or everything. Layers would be some set of characteristics that once made up their ... personality? That part isn't really clear without more context.

"I know that there are health problems associated with being overweight, but so are smoking and drinking." 'are' is correct since you are referencing two or more things. However, this sentence is odd because you are saying that smoking and drinking are also associated with being overweight. I don't think that is what you mean to say. I think you mean to say that there are health problems associated with smoking and drinking. If that is the case, this sentence is wrong. "I know that there are health problems associated with being overweight, but the same is true of smoking and drinking." " ....smoking, drinking, and the list goes on." I can't say for sure that this is incorrect but it definitely sounds odd to me. I wouldn't say it this way. Maybe, "...smoking, drinking, and a number of other things." ... or something like that. I am interested to know if anyone else feels that this phrasing is awkward.

I heard "upclip". I am pretty sure that is what he said. He meant "uptick". Actually, he could have said "upclick" which is actually fairly similar to uptick. Still, he meant uptick.

"Providence" has a feeling of being protected or guided safely. The root word being "provide". It means the providence of God. Another good word, similar to providence, is 'kismet'. This basically means the Will of God, but usually is used to mean that something was destined to be and usually is positive or 'lucky', much like providence. "I saw her AGAIN later in the day, and I asked her on a date! It was kismet!" For unexpected good fortune not related to destiny or fate, consider "dumb luck" or "a happy accident". EDIT: I just thought of what might be the best option: "windfall"! A windfall is a sudden 'stroke of luck' that was unexpected. Originally, a 'windfall' meant a fruit that was blown from the tree by the wind.

When used as a noun, they are essentially the same... though 'stock' implies goods that are already present, while 'supply' can imply a steady flow of goods. When used as a verb, 'stock' is the act of putting goods into place while 'supply' means to give those goods out. So, in your example, the "stock of housing" is how much 'housing' that currently is present in rural areas, where "supply of housing" can mean the same or can mean the amount of housing that can be made available. In your second example, both words are the same and both are fine.

I think this sort of thing is best as a Notebook... so it can get corrected, rather than 'answered'.

That was really good! Very understandable. Your accent is strong but not bad. Pronunciation was spot on. The only problem I saw was that you occasionally weakened or dropped consonants... examples are 'amountS', 'Giant', 'onboarD', 'eXpanded', 'taRget'. At least I think the last word was target.