It’s hard work, but I’m finding the inner strength to stand up for myself. Today I’m flying home in the midst of the coronavirus scare. I’m grateful for the medical mask that covers most of my face. It’s doing more than protecting me from the spreading epidemic; it’s hiding my tears. Being raped as a preschooler … Read more
The problem wasn’t that I trusted too much, but rather that I trusted too fast As I looked across the cafe’s small table located downtown New York City, I saw the man I’d contacted on a dating app. As we started talking, I realized this guy was looking for support, rather than a romantic interest. Both … Read more
My dad’s discovery of audiobooks changed everything. Growing up, I loved yet feared my dad. A strong man who worked with his hands, he rarely spoke unless he was regaling us with tales of his youth around the dinner table.But there was a painful distance and I didn’t know how to deepen the relationship. I … Read more
It’s relational self-awareness. I looked over at my third date and thought, “Something is going terribly wrong.” Why wasn’t I having greater dating success? But what? Here was an attractive, successful man — an intellectual, who was talkative, and had a variety of interests. He was widely read, and his musical tastes were broad. His children were … Read more
When ‘too much’ is actually just right. Being a woman today is tough. Most of us face tremendous pressure to conform to societal standards, both in our professional and personal lives– to avoid being a “too-much woman.” Convinced this type of cultural demand was partially to blame for my recent vulnerability to emotional manipulation, I’ve vowed … Read more
Apparently Freud got something right about the power of making the unconscious conscious I recently started dating again. This was the first time I’d dipped my toe back in the dating pool since getting a divorce. As I met a few men my age, I noticed a problem, though: instead of having feelings of attraction, … Read more
How a letter written ninety-one years earlier enlightened me When I think of an example of a strong woman – someone I consider a feminist who’s fought for her rights – my grandmother doesn’t come to mind. In fact, I’ve considered her life a prime example of a typical traditional woman. As much as I’ve … Read more
It took a dash of moxie, a thicker skin, and lots of determination I wished I had a dollar for every time I heard someone say they’d be a writer if only they knew how to write better. I’d be a millionaire by now. Writers are made not born I used to think that writing was … Read more
My life-changing experience meeting a spiritual giant Years ago, I met an amazing elderly woman: a much-loved great grandmother, grandmother, and mother and a quiet, stalwart member of my local church. Willow thin, she kept her hair pulled back into a silver-gray bun. She stood slightly bent and kept a tight grip on her walker. … Read more
When Love is Unreciprocated As he walks out of my apartment, I vow I won’t respond to his next text. I’ll be stronger, I tell myself. I’ll ignore the deep yearning to say yes should he ask if I’m free. I’m tired of a one sided love. He’s too young for me, much too young — at … Read more