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About Me — Jill Ebstein
A walking contradiction, partly truth, and partly fiction
It has taken me a while to step up to the plate and write this piece. It’s the “walking contradiction” side of me — I want to be read and, in that way, be seen. And I am also uncomfortable being at the center of attention (I believe our world is more “and” than “or”). I usually lean away from hoopla.
This photo, however, shows me making the hoopla. I was at the launch of my self-published series, At My Pace, and it was a proud moment. It was the culmination of a journey I wasn’t sure I’d finish.
Since I’ve been on Medium for three years now, I’ve decided it’s time to take the podium again and share my story. Here goes.
My Start
I am one of 6 children in a family that was life’s biggest blessing. My parents ran a small kosher grocery store, and we were their hired help. My most important lessons come from our humble beginnings. As my brother has said, “We were poor, but we didn’t know it.”
Among the many lessons Utica Grocery taught us, we learned we were not the center of attention, so we couldn’t act like it. Customers always came first. Hard work and no complaining is the way to go. No one’s listening anyway.
