I'd cut school and go over to the Lori-Ann Donut Shop and eat

Hear, O sons and daughters of time, the tale spoken by Howie Long, a man who would rise from humble roots to greatness: “I’d cut school and go over to the Lori-Ann Donut Shop and eat doughnuts. I got a job at the pet store near Lechmere, unloading fish tanks. They gave me $10 for unloading a full long-bed truckload. I never broke a fish tank. When I asked for a raise, I got fired.” These words, though simple in form, carry the fragrance of youth, the hardship of labor, and the eternal lesson of human striving against the indifference of the world.

In the beginning, there is the school abandoned, and the doughnut shop visited. This is not the tale of laziness, but of hunger—both for food and for the freedom of choice. Every youth, at some point, rebels against the rigid walls of duty to taste life on his own terms. The doughnuts are sweet, but fleeting; they represent the desires that lure us away from discipline. Yet in this moment of rebellion is also the first spark of independence, the yearning to write one’s own story outside the chalk lines drawn by others.

Then enters the job, the burden of the fish tanks carried by young shoulders. Hard work is no stranger to those of humble means, and here the boy learns the discipline that school could not teach: the sweat of labor, the patience of care, the pride of never breaking even one fragile glass tank. This is the quiet heroism of the ordinary laborer, who builds strength and character in tasks unseen by the world. His reward—ten dollars—seems meager, yet within it is hidden the seed of endurance, the muscle of persistence, and the first taste of responsibility.

But then comes the test: the request for a raise. Here lies the boldness of youth, the courage to ask for recognition. Yet the world is not always just, and the answer he receives is not reward but dismissal. To be fired is to taste rejection, to feel the sting of being cast aside. Yet it is in this moment of injustice that the lesson deepens: life will not always honor your effort, nor always reward your excellence. Sometimes, the very courage to ask for more is answered with loss. This is the way of the world, as harsh in commerce as in kingdoms.

Consider, O listener, the tale of Abraham Lincoln, who in his youth labored at splitting rails and ferrying goods. He, too, knew poverty, hardship, and the cruelty of employers who valued his muscle more than his worth. Yet he did not let dismissal or difficulty break him. From such beginnings, he learned resilience, and in time he carried a nation through civil war. Thus, the story of the fish tanks and the lost job is not one of defeat, but of preparation. It forges character in the fire of adversity, teaching that rejection is not the end but the beginning of strength.

The meaning of Long’s words is therefore clear: the sweetness of the doughnut, the burden of the fish tank, and the sting of being fired are all chapters in the making of a man. They remind us that each failure, each injustice, each small triumph in labor and persistence is the soil from which greatness grows. To work faithfully, to ask boldly, and to endure rejection—these are the roots of resilience.

The lesson for you, O seeker, is this: do not despise small beginnings, nor grow bitter when the world seems unjust. Instead, let each humble task, each dismissal, each moment of disappointment forge your strength. Work faithfully, as the boy who never broke a tank. Ask boldly, even if the world answers with scorn. And when cast aside, rise again, for destiny is written not in the sweetness of rewards but in the endurance of the soul.

Therefore, in your own days, take action: embrace the tasks that fall to you, however small; treat each with honor, as though it were sacred. Do not fear to ask for what you are worth, though the answer may wound you. And when you stumble or are rejected, remember that even from the pet store, even from the loss of ten dollars’ wage, a future can rise as mighty as the man who once carried fish tanks, and later, the respect of millions.