ArcaMax

Dear Eric: My husband and I are in our early 70s. We're both in good health. We have one child who is an adult and lives independently but close by.

My husband and I enjoy marijuana now that it has been legalized in our state. Between the two of us, we smoke one joint after 7 p.m. about four days a week. We also enjoy it on special occasions ...Read more

Dear Eric: My significant other and I have been together 10 years now. Lately, since he reconnected with childhood friends, we stopped doing things together. We stopped doing things as a family (we have children). He is with them all of the time. I expressed how I felt and gave suggestions on how we can balance and improve, but he only gets ...Read more

Dear Eric: I have had a best friend, Beth. I’ve known her since we were 23 years old. We have not always lived in the same city nor seen each other regularly, but when we do, it’s as if no time or distance has passed. We connect immediately.

My problem is that Beth does not always return texts or calls in a timely fashion. I mean weeks will...Read more

Dear Eric: I have friends who have Alexa in their homes, and I understand that Alexa is a valuable tool when used as indicated. I also understand that it “listens” to any conversation carried on in its presence. This bothers me, because we often have intimate and/or professional conversations.

Is this a legitimate concern, or am I being ...Read more

Dear Eric: I have been attending shows of local bands for more than two decades and have met a very nice group of people who go to these shows and developed many nice friendships. Due to health reasons, I normally sit in the chairs in the back, will wander and socialize at times and sometimes at the intermission I will go up to the front of the ...Read more

Dear Eric: My husband’s brother was a nice guy, albeit boring and a conversation hog. But he was family and we invited him, along with his wife and son, to our home over the years (they lived 500 miles away). He passed away three years ago.

His wife is one of the nastiest people I’ve ever met. She was verbally abusive to her husband, ...Read more

Dear Eric: I am regretfully asking myself if I have morphed into a de facto sugar daddy. I'm in a four-year live-in relationship with a 42-year-old woman. I am 70.

Many might think the 28-year age gap is prima facie evidence of a sugar daddy/sugar baby relationship. However, to date, the relationship has been the best, as it has been adorned ...Read more

Dear Eric: I have been a preschool teacher for more than 20 years. There are a few times throughout the year where the kids and their parents give us gifts, which of course is optional. Those occasions are Christmas, Valentine's Day, Teacher Appreciation Week and Graduation.

I have never asked for, nor do I expect to receive gifts from the ...Read more

Dear Eric: My mother is in her last months of life. She has been cared for in her home for the last three years by increasingly expensive home health care workers. I and other siblings have suggested over and over that she be put in a care home for round-the-clock care, but our oldest sibling (we’ll call them Jimmy) has steadfastly refused, ...Read more

Dear Eric: I'm a 73-year-old female who happily maintained a friendship I made my freshman year in college.

Two years ago, I noticed changes in my friend's ability to carry on conversations and her lack of awareness of current events. After Covid's isolation, she and her husband seldom left their house, and her husband spent more time on his ...Read more

Dear Eric: For Christmas my husband and I travel a few hours and stay at a hotel near our son’s family.

There is a man that works there readying the breakfast buffet. Each Christmas he gets dressed in a very festive outfit. And he mistakenly thinks that trying to bear hug strange hotel guests coming in for breakfast is a good thing to do.

...Read more

Dear Eric: For Christmas my husband and I travel a few hours and stay at a hotel near our son’s family.

There is a man that works there readying the breakfast buffet. Each Christmas he gets dressed in a very festive outfit. And he mistakenly thinks that trying to bear hug strange hotel guests coming in for breakfast is a good thing to do.

...Read more

Dear Eric: Like many people, my weight yo-yos. Over the decades, I have joined many weight-loss programs and got to my target weight on each (with 100 pounds being the most loss at one time). I stick to each program 99 percent of the time, finding the weekly weigh-ins to be very motivating.

I've picked up good habits from each (exercising five-...Read more

Dear Eric: I’ve been good friends with a woman for about five years now; we live abroad. However, I am not and never have been a huge fan of her new husband.

He talks over people or one-ups any statement and simply doesn’t listen. He can’t do turn-taking in conversation. I’ve asked a mutual friend if he is like this in his second ...Read more

Dear Eric: My parents are retired and enjoying the empty nest stage of life. They have a rather large home and my mother’s mobility has been severely hampered in the last few years.

They refuse to get rid of the things that no longer serve them. My mother over buys for everything and at times I think she forgets what they already have and ...Read more

Dear Eric: My husband and I have been going through some very tough times this past year and a half. My husband hurt his back very badly at work and he was given no disability or compensation. We have a court date in July to see about his case. He has been out of work due to his condition which is very stressful and we are spending money only on...Read more

Dear Eric: My husband and I are in our 70s and have never really been able to get close with our daughter-in-law.

She and our son have been married for 13 years. She is nine years younger than him and this is his second marriage. They have one child, who is 11.

She is always angry. She has a very explosive temper and yells, slams doors and has...Read more

Dear Eric: I’m in my early 30s and seeing a really great guy. He checks a lot of boxes for me and I’m happy with him. My boyfriend and I said “I love you” to each other a few weeks ago. He said it first, and I said it back. We’ve been dating for about six weeks, so this feels normal. This isn’t my first relationship, but it’s ...Read more

Dear Eric: For the past 10 years, a core group in our Homeowners’ Association (HOA) has been very close.

We get together on weekends, have meals together, attend HOA events and even go on vacations with each other. One member of our group is the HOA president and has held that position for more than 20 years.

While the HOA board funded many ...Read more

Dear Eric: My friend was recently diagnosed with ADHD. She is now continually late for events or doesn’t show up at all. On one occasion my friend was coming for dinner at my house. An hour before she was due, I got a text from another friend saying they were now having dinner at her place. My first friend didn’t contact me at all, not to ...Read more