“I can’t sleep,” said Sarah*. “I keep seeing his hands in gloves, grabbing the merchandise!” Her voice trembled through her Syrian accent. “I can’t even be with my children. I start to sweat when I hear a noise. I think I’m going crazy. I just want to hide in my…

For much of my life, fall has been a rough season. Fall has brought the death of loved ones, abrupt endings of cherished romantic relationships, and darkening days that herald the approaching cold. Even as a January baby, I’ve never taken to the dark and the cold. …

Trichotillomania began haunting me when I was ten. I was sitting in my fourth grade classroom when I found myself slowly pulling out my eyelashes, and piling them neatly on my desk. One by one. I felt horrified and confused by what I was doing, but also oddly satisfied. …

“But I thought our job was to put ourselves out of business!” My objection was heartfelt, but my coworkers squirmed. I glanced around the room. …

Key to a Life Beyond Crumbs (And Making a Difference) I said NO recently. Twice. And it’s kind of a big deal. The first NO was to a new man in my life. At first, I was stoked to have met “Darrell” online. Not only was he attractive and local, we had a high compatibility score. Unlike the men I’ve…

In October 2014, Kent abruptly broke off our one-year relationship. That ending broke a part of me, and was one of the push factors that nudged me back towards California. In July 2016 I moved back to L.A., but two months before that, Kent and I had lunch. It was…

The poor man sounded exasperated. There were a bunch of letters after his name, and he was deeply involved in local COVID vaccine efforts. “We just don’t understand it,” he said. …

Most people don’t know I was (am?) a classically trained pianist. The fact that most people don’t know this tells you something. Fascinated by my church’s organist, Mrs. Huss, and the strange marks on paper she translated into intricate music, I started piano lessons at age 5. By second grade…

My Sweetie and I broke up Thursday night. Like so many moments and aspects of our relationship, the breakup was another first. It was the sweetest, most mutual ending I’ve been through. I had the courage and integrity to set a new, important boundary. He had the courage and integrity…