From The Author
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Stories
Discover More from This Author: Will O'Donnell
Spafford brings SW jam grooves to Killington’s Pickle Barrel
March 12, 2025
By William O’Donnell March 16, at 7 p.m.—KILLINGTON—When it comes to improvisational music, few bands take the art of jamming as seriously—and as fluidly—as Spafford. The Arizona-based quartet, known for their electrifying live shows and seamless musical exploration, is set to bring their signature blend of genre-bending grooves to the Pickle Barrel in Killington on…
Agency and fear in the New Year
January 8, 2025
For thousands of years, the transition into the new year sees people take a moment for self-reflection. Traditionally, people come up with a resolution for something they would like to improve upon, bring with them, or leave behind them with this year’s fresh start. The Latin origin of the word resolve, resolvere, has a few meanings, such as: to loosen,…
Gratitude
December 11, 2024
With the holiday season upon us and many of us traveling to visit family, we must take time to consider gratitude. Where does it come from? How is it sustained? How do you show it when you are feeling it? What can you do to find more gratitude? How does it affect us and others…
The Gray
November 27, 2024
I’ve been checking in with myself on a concept I like to call The Gray. I am focusing on the gray as a way to meet situations I encounter in an open, honest and wholesome way. Paired with extreme ownership and radical acceptance, I am feeling more in control over things I previously felt discouraged…
Sunday funday
November 20, 2024
As I wake up much earlier than I was supposed to, much earlier than my alarm, I am greeted with the rays of a brand new day. I get myself together and start going through the pile of messages from friends, looking to spend time with me or go to the show together that night.…
Stick around and grow
November 6, 2024
This is the time of year when nature shows us how to let go When all of the leaves have fallen The trees stand proud and bare They slowly release what does not serve them What they leave behind in the soil helps fuel their future growth. When the cold crashes in hard, the naked…
Making Halloween
October 30, 2024
Whether you went to the Wobbly to be seen and dance to club music, went to see Phish from Vermont at the charity event in Albany to support addiction recovery, or you’re just trick or treating somewhere with the littles, Halloween time is accessible and fun for everyone. Halloween has been my favorite holiday, since…
Bring on the snow!
October 23, 2024
As New Englanders, we are a rare breed. While people elsewhere are dreading the change from the bright and warm summer fading into a gray and humbling winter, we have been waiting for this all year. The snow is a chance to prove ourselves to ourselves. To challenge ourselves. To cleanse ourselves, in a way,…
Picture window
October 17, 2024
As we move into the ski season change is abundant The quiet roads are starting to become more animated. Soon they will be bursting at the seams with life again The slow simmer that builds into a wonderful celebration of snow A morning commute filed with so many electric colors With a rich palette of…
Dream in Color: She has invited me to this space tonight
October 9, 2024
Yet I seem to be the least important person in the building to her Will I ever be an equal to her drinking buddies, who after years, she has never opened up to? When she talks to everyone else in the room I sit and wonder if I will get a turn A chance to…
Dream in Color: Spring’s Queen
October 2, 2024
Tucked away In a sea of brown and gray Just beyond the travelers smog Lives a specimen of unadulterated beauty Thriving in solidarity Harmoniously lending guidance to the kingdom A single organism Promoting unity in the shadow of the mountain Your supple, verdant wings spread wide Ignoring your stagnant surroundings Your crimson tiara reaching for…
The shade of my heart
September 26, 2024
Intro I saw on the internet the other day a woman commenting on online dating: “If you are ‘still figuring it out,’ then maybe you should take a minute and do that before dating.” After thinking about it, I agreed. While I know everyone does things at their own pace and in their own way,…
The student and the teacher
September 18, 2024
Growing up, my parents had some kind of large toy that wasn’t functioning. I remember it so vividly. It was white with red and blue stripes. Big white stars. The sides and headboard showed a man burning rubber with an impertinent amount of orange and yellow flames, doing an amazing wheelie on a Triumph motorcycle.…
Dream In Color: Close friends
September 11, 2024
With busy lives and breathtaking scenery in the mountain community, it can be hard sometimes to embrace deep companionship and friendship. Casual connections come easily, but don’t offer the same benefits that are received through a close connection, through a network of genuine support. As we grow older and more involved in personal responsibility, I…
Dream in Color: Here comes the sunshine
September 4, 2024
The beginning of 2024 saw many ups and downs for me, but offered several new opportunities as well. I started a new job late in the previous year and was starting to come into my own by the end of skiing season. The new job, working with a utility company, offered me a very unique…
