My first paycheck, and many meager ones that followed, taught me to respect people who work hard but earn little -- something to think about especially on Labor Day.
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Suprise Me
My Summer Job – Hard Work for a Very Small Paycheck
Prompted By My First Paycheck
/ Stories
My first paycheck, and many meager ones that followed, taught me to respect people who work hard but earn little -- something to think about especially on Labor Day.
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Dr. Andrews: A Trailblazer
Prompted By Family Medicine
/ Stories
This prompt gave me the opportunity to write about my pediatrician, Dr.Elizabeth Torrey Andrews. In a weird coincidence, I googled her and discovered an obituary in the Reed College magazine, the college my younger son graduated from. Dr. Andrews was only a Reedie for one year (1923), then transferred to the University of Oregon, following…
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Many Happy Purchases And Some Returns
Prompted By Shoppers
/ Stories
Retrospect: Shoppers By Kevin J. W. Driscoll (c) 2024 I’ve always been a bit of a consumer. Not in a hoarding sense, mind you. I’m not one of those people who fills their garage with boxes of expired cereal or their closet with clothes they’ve never worn. No, I’m more of a connoisseur…
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Ten Miles in Ninety Minutes
Prompted By Road Rage
/ Stories
Route 101 looked like something out of a Mad Max movie ...
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The Abortion
Prompted By The Road Not Taken
/ Stories
I stopped using my diaphragm. Not surprisingly, I got pregnant.
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My Brother Dan
Prompted By Birth Order
/ Stories
Compared to most mid-century couples, my parents married late. Dad was 34, Mom 29, and they figured they had no time to waste in starting a family. My brother Danny, born August 25, 1949, came first, and for a brief time he reigned unchallenged, the celebrated prince. For Dad, it was a long-deferred dream to…
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Just One Night On The Boat: A Snow Story
Prompted By Snow
/ Stories
This is a snow story. It starts out sounding like a summer fun story. But trust me: this is a snow story… Have you ever had one of those times when something was supposed to be really straightforward and easy, but then it turned into… an experience? Several years ago, Brian and I realized we…
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Tattoo Me
Prompted By Rites of Passage
/ Stories
Because all appearances to the contrary, I tended to play it safe...
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Three Proms, One Dress
Prompted By Prom
/ Stories
I lost my prom photos years ago, but I still have the shoes.
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Cake by the Ocean
Prompted By Spring Break
/ Stories
Faithful readers of Retrospect may recall my story on the prompt Beaches, which included memories of two spring break trips I took three decades apart: a 1961 trip with my parents and sisters to Fort Lauderdale shortly after the movie Where the Boys Are came out; and a 1992 trip to Maui with my future second husband…
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