ThisIsMineEO
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The Writer, The Aggravator, and The False Prophet It was Thursday night at Chill n’Fill, and I’d just finished rearranging the energy drink display into a color gradient that would make a rainbow jealous. Bob had insisted this would “maximize the chromatic purchasing energy” of our customers, whatever that meant. At least it gave… Read more
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How do you feel about cold weather? Having grown up in northern Michigan, I once embraced winter’s freezing temperatures from -17 to 5 degrees. My childhood was filled with snowmobiles, ice fishing, and building snowmen and snow forts. But after moving to Alabama in 1996, I experienced the opposite climate – summers that nearly “melted… Read more
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Another Night at Chill n’Fill: Signs, Romance, and the Color Blue It was Friday night at Chill n’Fill, and I’d just finished arranging the energy drinks into an elaborate pyramid that Bob insisted would “enhance their caffeinated aura.” The fluorescent lights hummed overhead, occasionally flickering in a way that made me wonder if our… Read more
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Have you ever broken a bone? Yes, I’ve broken a bone before. I remember the sun hanging high above the baseball diamond that fateful afternoon in eighth grade, casting shadows across center field where I stood with my mitt raised, tracking the soaring ball against the blinding sky. Time seemed to slow as the baseball… Read more
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How do you balance work and home life? Balancing home and work life requires careful attention to boundaries and routines. After long shifts surrounded by the sounds of industrial saws and the earthy scent of cut lumber, I create deliberate transitions between worlds, A shower and a change of clothes immediately upon returning home and… Read more
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The House on West 14 Road In the spring of 1985, my family relocated from 112 John Street to 7160 W. 14 Rd. in Mesick, Michigan, a rural community known locally as Glengary. I was about to turn nine years old. The sprawling five-bedroom, two-story house stood weathered against the Michigan landscape, its painted… Read more
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What sacrifices have you made in life? 🤔 …I’ve never been comfortable with calling my decisions “sacrifices.” That word always felt too heavy, too martyred for what I’ve done in my life. When I chose to move or change jobs and all the other decisions I’ve ever made, I wasn’t sacrificing something else… I was… Read more
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The Night of the Silent Breakdown, the Snack Commander, and the Law-Defying Fisherman It was Wednesday night at Chill n’Fill, and I was halfway through my shift when the fluorescent lights flickered in that particular way that always gave me a migraine by midnight. Jennifer had called in “sick” again, this time claiming she’d… Read more
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The Night of the Cryptid Hunter, the Sock Puppeteer, and the Sleep-Deprived Physicist My Friday night shift at Chill n’Fill was off to an even stranger start than usual. The one-eyed polar bear sign outside wasn’t just flickering tonight—it was pulsating in a bizarre rhythm that Bob insisted was “part of our new sensory… Read more
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