This piece brought me right back to my own first job out of college at a technical publishing magazine (about the Fire Service of all things!) when what I also dreamed of (but never actually applied for) was working at Cosmopolitan. I love how Maria writes with honesty and extends such compassion for those misguided days of our tender youth!
Thank you so much for reading and responding, Patricia. I’m so glad you enjoyed it. My memoir Celibate (Apprentice House Press) answers the question of whether the narrator/I became a nun.
What a beautiful story! I’m sure many young people, new to adulthood and the workforce, can relate to your feelings, experiences and insecurities. Thank you, Maria, for sharing your journey. Your honesty and compassion in finding your way, gives hope to those who walk in similar shoes. Although you may have never thanked Doris for all that she did for you, by paying it forward, you have become the mother figure and role model to so many. Like Doris, you lead by example, with kindness and love. She would be proud of the woman you have become!
Thank you so much, Carolyn, for taking the time to thoughtfully read and respond to "Admissions." Your close read, specificity and insights mean a great deal!
People come and go through our lives and we learn something from each of them - and certainly so much more from some than from others. Maria’s self-reflection and honesty lead her to an important revelation. Her writing style flows right off the page and into your mind, so that you feel you are with her on her journey. And if you are lucky enough, you realize that you too may have a “Doris” in your past or present.
Thank you Jacqueline for your specific comments not only on the story but on the writing of the story. That means a great deal to a writer, this writer.
“I And the ride you take the reader on is nuanced-and I see you and all your desires. Love it! wouldn’t have wound up in education, where I’ve learned there’s more than one way to be a mother, to nurture the next generation.”
This is such a rich, honest piece. I adore the beginning: all the sensory details, the smells, the textures.
And the ride you take the reader on is nuanced-and I see you and all your desires. Love it, Maria!
This piece brought me right back to my own first job out of college at a technical publishing magazine (about the Fire Service of all things!) when what I also dreamed of (but never actually applied for) was working at Cosmopolitan. I love how Maria writes with honesty and extends such compassion for those misguided days of our tender youth!
Thank you.
I loved this story. Maria's fragility comes through and is touching. Did she become a nun?
Thank you so much for reading and responding, Patricia. I’m so glad you enjoyed it. My memoir Celibate (Apprentice House Press) answers the question of whether the narrator/I became a nun.
What a beautiful story! I’m sure many young people, new to adulthood and the workforce, can relate to your feelings, experiences and insecurities. Thank you, Maria, for sharing your journey. Your honesty and compassion in finding your way, gives hope to those who walk in similar shoes. Although you may have never thanked Doris for all that she did for you, by paying it forward, you have become the mother figure and role model to so many. Like Doris, you lead by example, with kindness and love. She would be proud of the woman you have become!
Thank you so much, Carolyn, for taking the time to thoughtfully read and respond to "Admissions." Your close read, specificity and insights mean a great deal!
Maria writes flawlessly, and truly inspires. What an amazing journey.
Joanne G.
People come and go through our lives and we learn something from each of them - and certainly so much more from some than from others. Maria’s self-reflection and honesty lead her to an important revelation. Her writing style flows right off the page and into your mind, so that you feel you are with her on her journey. And if you are lucky enough, you realize that you too may have a “Doris” in your past or present.
Thank you Jacqueline for your specific comments not only on the story but on the writing of the story. That means a great deal to a writer, this writer.
My favorite line:
“I And the ride you take the reader on is nuanced-and I see you and all your desires. Love it! wouldn’t have wound up in education, where I’ve learned there’s more than one way to be a mother, to nurture the next generation.”
This is such a rich, honest piece. I adore the beginning: all the sensory details, the smells, the textures.
And the ride you take the reader on is nuanced-and I see you and all your desires. Love it, Maria!