Friendships

I have just finished reading “These Precious Days”, an essay written by Ann Patchett, published in Harper’s Magazine. I loved it so much the first time; I re-read it for a second. I feel ridiculously close to Ann after reading this candid…

My sister and I exchange emails at least once a week. Sometimes I’m shocked when I read her impressions of something I’ve said. It’s eye-opening and gives me a different lens through which to see myself. Brought up in a small town in northern…

The older I get, the more clearly I see – through my new trifocals – that life really is a give and take proposition, often with equally unsatisfactory results. For example, life giveth plantar fasciitis and taketh away fashionable footwear….

Friendships with women are what get a lot of us through life. On TV, in movies, and on the Net, friendship is exalted and even elevated to the level of one’s “tribe.” But in real life, people can betray confidences, fail to come through…

When you’re working to get your confidence back and build boundaries at 60 and better, there is one “hiding in plain sight” barrier that will keep you from reaching your goals. And that’s surrounding yourself with toxic people. You know exactly…

It’s been so long since I’ve had a hug that I put my hug-o-meter in the basement next to the Christmas ornaments. Maybe by the time the holidays roll around we’ll be able to safely hug someone again. If not, I may buy one of those…

I’ve always been strong, resilient and able bodied, the first to rush to the rescue of others, the one who shows up, brings food, and can face with my friends what life delivers on a bad day. What I am not, is good with asking for and accepting help…

A lot of people, I find, have a close friend who does not make sense. Someone who just doesn’t ‘fit’ with other aspects of their life, and no one from outside can quite understand why they are friends at all. Such friendships can be especially meaningful…

I am a wife whose husband has cancer. I am a caregiver. I also work with people who have cancer and other life-limiting illnesses, and with their caregivers. I work with the grief that comes with caregiving and death that may follow. Every day, do you look…

I broke up with a friend earlier this year. I’d been supporting this person through a tough time over the past couple of years. Ultimately, however, I came to see that I couldn’t help them. And I was destroying my own mental health in trying. So I stepped away…