I’ve never been a nostalgic person. We didn’t make a wedding album. My kids don’t have baby books of photos tracing their growth and progression through life’s milestones. I threw out all my school yearbooks during my Marie Kondo phase.

No regrets.

When my dad used to drive me around the town he’d grown up in and tell me about the places that used to be there and where people he knew once lived, I found it so depressing.

I not only didn’t like to look back I didn’t even see the point of doing it. I didn’t want to…

The first time I moved in with a boyfriend I was 27. Living with him quickly made me realize that some of the ways I’d handled disagreements in past relationships were not only ill-advised but also impossible to do while cohabitating.

As someone who preferred to avoid conflict and just ghost guys who hurt me, I didn’t know how to resolve conflicts in a relationship I had made that kind of commitment to. I had moved all the way across the country to be with him.

Since it happened quickly, we were still questioning on some level the stability of…

It was happy hour on a Tuesday and we had the sushi bar to ourselves. I was enjoying my $4 champagne cocktail of choice, the Tokyo Princess, and my husband and I were laughing together in recognition of the truths that had been revealed on my phone.

What, you don’t take personality quizzes together on dates? You may want to reconsider…

I admit I’m not a huge fan of Valentine’s Day. I don’t like overpriced flowers and a day that leaves many people feeling left out or dissatisfied. I also don’t think you are “nobody until somebody loves you”. …

Lately, I’ve had an unsettling feeling as the realization that neither a new year nor a new administration likely means any significant changes to our daily lives, at least for several more months.

I can’t help but think of this time a year ago when I was looking forward to a party we’d planned. I didn’t know it was the last one we’d host for so long. When I look back at what I cherish and miss the most about what we did during pre-pandemic life, gatherings small and large are high on the list.

My kitchen still sees a…

We were in the car the other day headed to our friends’ house to do a driveway birthday celebration when my husband asked me, “What’s the opposite of missing someone called?”

English is his second language, so I wasn’t completely surprised by his question. When he is stressed out or tired, he sometimes forgets English expressions. That day he was both. I told him I thought the opposite of missing someone is being sick of them.

“Oh,” he said, nodding his head. “That’s how I feel about you.”

I laughed.

I knew at that moment he was saying exactly what…

Have you ever read this popular quote and thought uh-oh?

You are the average of the five people you spend the most time with. — Jim Rohn

I used to think it meant if I wanted to accomplish something, I had to spend time with someone who was already successfully doing it. It made it seem like success was mostly about who you know. And if I couldn’t meet the right people, my success would be impossible. Was I doomed to failure?

Now I know that’s not the case.

But this doesn’t mean that the people closest to you don’t…

I recently heard my girls discuss whether or not they and their friends are “main characters”.

I didn’t know exactly what they meant, but I could tell it was a desirable label. They both wanted to be one. I asked them if it is a criticism to say someone is not a main character. They told me it wasn’t. Some people can’t help it, they just aren’t.

When I pressed them on what makes someone a main character their answers were vague. They gave me the impression that if I was younger, I’d know what they meant. Like any parent…

One of my pet peeves is when I speak about a topic and the person I’m talking to replies by talking about something else completely different. It feels like they weren’t listening at all. I feel ignored or like they considered what I said unimportant. It feels like a kind of rejection. It makes me not want to open up to them again.

Poor listening skills have consequences.

But that’s not usually my listening mistake. I’m more likely to interrupt. It could be for any number of reasons — I disagree, I have something to add, the other person said…