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A friend of a family member blindsided us recently when she shared over the phone--and not in a hushed tone--about a most private body part. She blurted out: “I’m having a lot of pain with my vagina.” Yes, that innermost female genitalia that rarely gets mentioned except in a sex education class or gynecologist’s office. The woman with the vaginal tissue issue didn’t even offer a hint that she was about to share the pain she was enduring. We didn’t know how to react. So, we did what any good friend would most likely do. We listened, learned more about...

“Things don’t have to be perfect to be wonderful.” This nugget of wisdom was mentioned in a New York Times business section, “Smarter Living” (June 10, 2019) in an article titled, "Don’t Pickle Things’ and Other Life Lessons.”     These words came at a propitious time as Margaret was striving to make her condo “perfect” to sell. She went over the top to scrub and vacuum, wax and wash, buff and puff. Was it perfect? No. way. Did it look beautiful and wonderful, several buyers and potential buyers thought so. Margaret’s real estate salesperson wisely said to her, “A place doesn’t...

I was living like a monk. My condo was going on the market, and it had to look like no one lived there.  Two days prior to the first showing, I puffed all pillows and made sure there wasn’t a speck of dust on the hardwood floors. No dirty dishes in the sink or dishwasher. I removed all landline phones, wastebaskets, shampoo and conditioner in the shower, extra rolls of toilet paper in the bathrooms, my electric toothbrush, hid all medications, tax records, jewelry, folders and papers and pared down to one computer on my desk. I put these items...

We live in a world where we are bombarded with help and information that can move freely around the world faster than a wagging tongue. Need to verify a fact? Google it. Want to find the one bra you love that’s no longer for sale at your favorite store? Look online. Struggling to put a bookcase together? Fix your T.V. or printer? Do this, says one website; try that, says another. YouTube offers videos for even more detailed explanations. Then consider the countless people we know who are willing to throw out their help and favors faster than Donald Trump...

We meet them on airplanes, trains, by sharing a counter at a coffee bar and maybe waiting in a long line at the grocery store or to buy a ticket to a movie or play. Or, sometimes, we meet when we’re a captive audience for an extremely long period at a surprising time—while waiting for our car to be fixed or being stuck with a sick family member in a hospital emergency room.  They look at us, we look at them and rather than continue with our heads buried in a book, magazine, Smartphone, iPad, newspaper or waiting for the...