Autobiography
Memoir | Becoming a Federal Government Civil Servant | The U.S. Department of Prominence | Part II of VI
Before starting my role as a federal government civil servant, I had to fill out an extensive Standard Form (SF86), known as the Questionnaire for National Security Positions, to obtain a security clearance.
By Mia Z. Edwardsabout a year ago in Chapters
Karachi Chronicles Chapter 7
Bringing international cricket matches to Pakistan, even if just a bunch of us old blokes, was a key objective for our trip. From the moment we set foot in the country all the way up until the present, with some help from the power of social media, we most certainly brought some added joy to many Pakistani cricket lovers. No doubt, in return the lives of all touring members were mutually enriched. During the three weeks in Karachi, there were scores of social engagements and meetings with the locals but one in particular felt most special and underscored the ethos of our trip.
By S. J. Leahyabout a year ago in Chapters
Memoir | Hired as an Information Receptionist | The Library of Congress | II of VI
I maintained my part-time roles at the boutique on Saturday mornings and the restaurant on late Saturday afternoons and Sundays, while also working at the Library of Congress, the James A. Madison Building, Congressional Library, during the weekdays.
By Mia Z. Edwardsabout a year ago in Chapters
Karachi Chronicles Chapter 6
Saying that cricket in Karachi presents a few challenges, is a bit of an understatement. During the month of September, a big hurdle is the hot weather. Coming from Australia, I am accustomed to warm weather but the heat we experienced on this trip was beyond anything I’ve played under back home. Temperatures hovered around the thirty five degrees Celsius mark and never seemed to dip very much overnight. On top of this, humidity started each day at around one hundred percent and rarely relented, even late in the day. With the scorching sun seldomly having a cloud to hide behind, every moment out on the field rapidly sapped energy and tested resolve.
By S. J. Leahyabout a year ago in Chapters
Hyperemesis Gravidarum
Imagine waking up feeling this nausea (being this nausea). Trying to cheer yourself up for you, but more for the baby. A baby is growing in your belly – so incredible! You get up, you try to eat something. Tangerines! Everything stinks but they remain so tasty! You devour them, two, three pieces at the time, perhaps four, until you eat it up and immediately afterwards you rush to the toilet. The first vomit of the day. Fair enough. You’re afraid to eat again, so you avoid it, but at least for a moment the nausea is gone. What to do? You have no strength, but you have to. “The baby needs you to be moving” Ok. “Let’s dance, very lightly.” Lately you merely balance your body from one side to the other, but it is ok. And you sing – somehow singing helps. There’s a new world somewhere, they call the promise land… And I’ll be there someday, if you hold on my hand. After a song or perhaps half a song you feel exhausted. Time to rest: sit down, lay down. Did you fall asleep? You wake up with a terrible headache. It’s noon already. You know you have to eat, but you’re afraid. Ok, let’s try again. You have one of those milky things to get some protein – at least they don’t make you throw up. “Is this normal?” You have wondered many times. All your doctors, family, friends have said is, “Yes! It’s normal. It’ll get better later – no worries!” Fair enough. Minutes later: second –or perhaps third?— vomit of the day. You remember the words, “I wish you have inherited my strength.” “I wish so too!” Why couldn’t you be like anyone else? Why does it have to be so hard for you to cope? You wonder how they could go through all this not only once, but twice, three, four times, five… “The other women must be superwomen.”
By Laura Rodbenabout a year ago in Chapters
Memoir | Typing Test | The Library of Congress | Part II of VI
My thoughts were consumed by the prospect of securing a full-time job with a steady salary, envisioning the day I could finally move out of my mother’s house in the projects of Washington, D.C. So, when Jim Cohen recommended that I take the upcoming typing test at the Library of Congress, it filled me with hope for the chance to land a permanent position.
By Mia Z. Edwardsabout a year ago in Chapters
The Story of Life
M Mehran Life is a book, and each day is a page. Some days are footnotes, barely noticed; others are bold paragraphs that leave marks we never forget. We live in chapters—some we write ourselves, others that arrive uninvited. And yet, every chapter matters. --- The First Chapter I still remember my first chapter—the one that felt like the entire world. I was eight years old, sitting cross-legged on the living room floor with a notebook and a pencil. I wrote stories about dragons, distant planets, and girls who discovered hidden powers. The world of imagination was mine to command. Those early chapters taught me that beginnings are full of hope. They remind us that even the simplest moments—a quiet afternoon, a curious mind—can plant seeds for a lifetime. --- The Unexpected Twists Then came chapters I hadn’t planned. High school, with its tangled friendships and confusing emotions. A best friend moving away, leaving a gap that felt impossible to fill. Exams, heartbreaks, triumphs, and failures—all of it unfolding without warning. Life taught me that chapters rarely follow the neat lines we imagine. The twists, the detours, the uninvited obstacles—they shape us, often more than the moments we celebrate. In every twist, there’s a lesson waiting to be discovered, if we only pay attention. --- Chapters of Change College was my next chapter. I moved to a city I barely knew, carrying only a suitcase and a hope for independence. The city streets were a maze, each turn leading to unfamiliar faces, strange foods, and endless possibilities. It was in this chapter that I learned the art of adaptation. I learned to make friends from strangers, to embrace the uncomfortable, and to trust that uncertainty often leads to growth. Some chapters are long, some are short, but every one changes the trajectory of the story. --- Heartbreak and Healing Not all chapters are joyful. I remember one in particular—the heartbreak chapter. I loved fiercely and lost deeply. It felt as though the pen had been ripped from my hands and my story paused mid-sentence. Yet even heartbreak has its purpose. I discovered resilience I didn’t know I possessed, and a capacity for forgiveness, for both myself and others. Chapters like these are the ones that teach us who we truly are, and remind us that pain, though heavy, is temporary. --- Chapters of Connection Alongside struggle, there are chapters of connection. I met mentors, friends, and lovers who added color to my pages. They offered perspectives I couldn’t have imagined, shared stories that intertwined with my own, and reminded me that life is never a solitary narrative. One friend once said, “Every person you meet adds a sentence to your chapter. Some sentences stay forever; others fade, but they all matter.” I realized she was right. Humans, like characters in a story, shape the plot in ways subtle and profound. --- The Present Chapter Now, I am in a chapter that feels quieter, yet deeper. A career that challenges me, a circle of friends that sustains me, and a sense of self that grows more defined with each passing day. I write each day with intention, aware that the present will someday be a past chapter. I’ve learned to embrace the ordinary as much as the extraordinary. The mornings with coffee and the hum of the city, the laughter over dinner, the solitary walks in the park—they are the paragraphs that make a chapter complete. --- Lessons from Chapters If life is a book, then the chapters teach us patience. They teach us that beginnings are exciting, middles are complex, and endings are inevitable. Each chapter, whether joyful, painful, or mundane, adds depth and texture. I’ve learned that some chapters must be closed, even when we aren’t ready. Others we revisit, rereading lines that bring comfort or understanding. And sometimes, a chapter surprises us, bringing joy or insight we could never have foreseen. --- Closing Reflection Life’s chapters are never truly linear. They overlap, echo, and influence each other in ways we cannot predict. And while we cannot control every plot twist, we can choose how we write our responses, how we turn the page, and how we carry lessons forward. Each chapter is a gift—a chance to learn, to grow, to connect, and to leave a mark on the story that is uniquely ours. As we live, we write, and as we write, we become the authors of a tale that is imperfect, unpredictable, and beautiful. So treasure the chapters. Celebrate beginnings, navigate twists, honor endings, and embrace the pages yet unwritten. Because life, after all, is a story worth telling—chapter by chapter.
By Muhammad Mehranabout a year ago in Chapters
Memoir | Job Hunt | Pennsylvania Avenue in Washington, D.C. | Part II of VI
Having had a meeting with Mr. Cohen the day before, I embarked on my job search in the Capitol Hill section of the iconic Pennsylvania Avenue, a stretch that extends from Capitol Hill to downtown Washington, D.C. This part of the Avenue, near the Library of Congress James A. Madison Building, was home to two restaurants and bars, a women’s fashion boutique, a bank, a health food store, and a small grocery market. Street vendors also lined up this part of the sidewalk.
By Mia Z. Edwardsabout a year ago in Chapters
