words of wisdom

  • Read last week’s post here or view all other New York City posts. The Ironclad Building on Main Street in Cooperstown looks well-kept from the outside: two clean, windowed storefronts on the ground level, second- and third-floor windows surrounded by if not fresh, at least not peeling paint. You would never guess, from looking at the outside, that

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  • One of the benefits of my summer job (working at Danny’s Main Street Market in Cooperstown, New York) are the random fascinating people who come buy sandwiches. There are conductors who work with the Glimmerglass Opera, construction workers and delivery men, Baseball Hall of Fame employees and interns, and today, Art Spander, an award-winning sports writer

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  • All we do is make fireworks. Here, like us, for a moment. Gone after a few flutters of lashes. Our hearts may be in it all effort thrown forth. But our hearts, our efforts are weak, short-lasting. The burst of light, thunder-like boom, a moment of wonder, beauty that fizzles out, darkens, drops. Such great work, resulting

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  • Today, I got my first ever rejection letter. I’d forgotten that I’d ever sent a query. The piece I queried? Lessons from the Drive-Thru, a personal feature I wrote for my Magazine and Feature Writing class last fall. Family Fun wasn’t interested, but in case you are, here’s the piece:  Lessons from the Drive-Thru “You

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  • “I want to understand why you don’t swear.” This question came from my co-worker Austin, after a long discussion on whether or not swearing was worth it and whether or not I would ever do it. [Picture the following happening in a small hometown deli. If you ever wonder what grocery store employees talk about

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  • Look at people as people, not prospects. Those were my words of wisdom to my brother, whose high school graduation we celebrated yesterday. It was a good graduation party — the most successful we’ve ever hosted — starting off with talk and food, and eventually segueing into a barefoot game of soccer at the park

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  • Unshackled

    Do you ever feel tied down by fear? That your fears, however serious or illogical, have you shackled to the ground? Do you ever fear that your fears aren’t so much yours as you are theirs? I do. Every other hour of every passing day. I don’t remember when I first noticed how fearful I

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