Human Interest

Just when you think you've got a clear vision of something, you find out you didn't know the full story. Guest commentator Michael Wells calls this double vision.

You make a decision. You feel good about it. But then you get a queezy feeling in your stomach and you're no longer sure.

Some of life's greatest lessons are learned at the University of Grit. And for guest commentator Michael Wells, his first instructors were the two people closest to him.

There's one human principle that's often encouraged; when you have the advantage, take it.

We close our summer job series with a story from listener Jeff Sands of Dorset, Vt. His most memorable summer job happened 16 years ago, when he was hitchhiking through Alaska. Needing money to get back home, he worked the games at a carnival in Fairbanks for nine days. We also hear a round-up of the summer jobs that made the All Things Considered staff the people they are today.

We close our summer job series with a story from listener Jeff Sands of Dorset, Vt. His most memorable summer job happened 16 years ago, when he was hitchhiking through Alaska. Needing money to get back home, he worked the games at a carnival in Fairbanks for nine days. We also hear a round-up of the summer jobs that made the All Things Considered staff the people they are today.

We hear the penultimate collection of summer job stories today, as our series winds down. NPR's Melissa Block and Robert Siegel read from listeners' letters about their most memorable summer jobs, and then we hear from listener Ed Film, who talks about the important lesson he learned from two clowns. Ed spent one summer dressed as a life-sized toy soldier for FAO Schwarz.