Helping the vulnerable not just survive, but thrive Like it or not, we have the power to help or hurt each other This week, it took a hurricane to remind me that we are not alone. We like to believe that what we do happens in a vacuum. “I’m not hurting anyone,” we say. “It’s nobody’s […]
Tag: Culture


Don’t Hate Me For Supporting This Presidential Candidate
Helping the vulnerable not just survive, but thrive I’ve noticed a growing divisiveness among those I love Lately, I’ve noticed a disturbing American trend of growing divisiveness. Evidence of it is everywhere — on TV, social media postings, and even dating profiles. This past week my inbox started to fill with personal notes from friends and family in […]

Is This Guy an Online Dating Shark?
There’s what he says and then what he actually means You may have heard the old adage, there are plenty of good fish in the sea, when it comes to meeting available men. That may be true, but I’d like to point out that the phrase neglects to say what kind of fish. And be […]

I Was Shamed for Helping Out
Sometimes it’s impossible to do enough A weird thing happened to me recently. Someone shamed me over text for doing a good deed. I was just trying to help out, but according to this stranger I didn’t do it in the right way. Last summer, I moved internationally and started over. This was the third time […]

My Privileged Ignorance About Racial Issues
Black Lives Matter must live on, and it starts with me waking up. I watched the brief replays of George Floyd’s death with horror and my privileged position life filled me with shame. Everything within me screamed, “Get off his neck, you’re killing him! Please, oh please, get off of his neck!” I can’t imagine the […]

My Private Battle With Poor Body Image
Passed on by the women who went before me and fueled by our culture It’s another hot day in Texas. I put on a bathing suit and head out to sit on the patio, where I can enjoy the poolside view. Looking sideways, I catch a glimpse of myself reflected in the sliding glass door. There […]

How Being Ghosted Improved My Life
Accept people will come and go. Five years ago, when I lost my husband to cancer, I never could have imagined my new life. I now live in a different state and write full-time instead of counseling clients. I knew his death would bring change, just not how or in what way. I especially could have […]

My Wish to Have the Same Freedoms Men Enjoy
For women, such confidence and ease is never simple. As I dressed this morning, I picked up the perfume I’d recently purchased and give myself two quick sprays. I love the sweet scent of the pink liquid housed in a gorgeous glass bottle with a gold-colored stopper. I found it while wandering the duty-free shop during […]

What It’s Like Being Married to a Sex Addict
Things I know now I wish I knew then I received an email today from a woman. A stranger. She wanted to know if I had been married to a sex addict. Unfortunately, it was. I discovered the truth two months after I’d married him. She, then, shared she likewise had the misfortune of marrying someone […]

The Hookup Mentality is Ruining My Dating Life
I find it tiresome and disturbing. Last week I closed both of my online dating profiles frustrated with the pervasive hookup mentality . I arrived at this decision after a busy week of three first dates. Two out of the three guys wanted to see me again, so I guess you could say it went […]