Every so often, something occurs that causes married couples to question everything. It happened to me, just last week. One teensy disruption in our mundane bedtime ritual set off marital alarm bells, rendering me vulnerable to resentment, doubt and blame — destructive emotions that push otherwise happy couples like Francis and me, to the precipice…
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Open letter: To the friends I ignore
I can see it in your eyes. You’re not happy. You think I’ve been ignoring you. You think I’m an awful friend. Not too long ago, we were close. We talked on the phone. We had lunch. We met at the gym. We exchanged texts. I showed interest in your life. But recently, I’ve been…
Separation Anxiety
Of all places, I was in the veterinarian’s office with our dog, Moby, when I started feeling differently about veterans. It wasn’t the smell of disinfectant, the hiss of the cat Moby was sniffing, or the yapping of a dog in the treatment room that got my wheels spinning. It was the sight of my…
The Power of Finger-Pointing
Ironically, one of our smallest, weakest body parts — the finger — often wields the most power. That one diminutive digit can instill fear, anxiety, surprise, guilt or joy. Fingers identify winners, fingers pull triggers, and fingers place blame. If I only had a dollar for every time my father pointed a calloused finger in…
