I’m fine, not that you asked — Dear Aunt Rhonda, Over this past weekend, I finally was brave enough to look through my mother’s old boxes of pictures and papers. I hadn’t been able to look before that because the pain of losing her was complicated. We hadn’t been close, both of us thinking we would have…

In AA, the thirteenth step is the worst step of all — I met Donny at a place called Club Oasis, which was a popular AA meeting place that was really more like a clique. I’d see him there occasionally, and we sometimes exchanged a joke or two. Honestly, I had no idea he had any feelings for me at all. I…

He is much more than just old — This past week, I was surprised to hear a number of democratic pundits saying that President Joe Biden should drop out of the 2024 race. This was after a few polls that showed him as underwater, even though there were other polls showing the complete opposite. They said he was…

My life is at the mercy of my moods — I feel closest to the universe when I’m hypomanic. When that happens, it feels like unending love is pouring out of me. I’m at my most grateful for the life I’ve been given. My brain churns out writing ideas faster than I can write them down. I send out emails…

A woman’s life out of control — Honestly, I had no business going to my twentieth reunion in the first place. A week or so earlier, I’d moved out of my apartment when my manipulating and abusive husband was at work. My ex-husband, Eric, told me that I could stay in a condo he rented out. His…

The trouble with self-disclosure — The other day, I sat down at my computer and Googled myself. I know that sounds sort of narcissistic, but I was genuinely curious about what would pop up. I’ve written more than 400 stories on the internet, so I wondered if they would show on the page. There they…

Her self-confidence is a lesson all women should learn — The biggest story of Paris Fashion Week this year was not about any of the clothes. Instead, everybody was talking about Pamela Anderson of Baywatch fame. When she showed up, she set off shockwaves because she dared to do what only the most rare of women had ever done before. …

The best bit of parenting advice I’ve ever heard — It was a bright and sunny day when I lost my 4-year-old son in a public place. We were standing in line for tickets to a place in Florida called Wannado City, which was a cute and fun little made-up town where the kids got to pick their own jobs…

What you don’t see really matters — A few months after divorcing my first husband, I foolishly signed up for an online dating site. I had just been left by my high-school sweetheart, and I was nowhere near ready for another relationship. …