ArcaMax

Dear Annie: My 23-year-old son graduated from college two years ago and has been unemployed ever since. He earned a degree in a competitive field but has not had any luck landing a job in his chosen profession. While we understand that finding the right opportunity can take time, we are growing increasingly concerned.

He refuses to consider ...Read more

Dear Annie: I met my husband three years ago, about eight months after he lost his first wife of 20 years. Their marriage was often toxic, and she was very abusive toward him. After she passed, he was ready to move on.

Right away, I knew something wasn't right with my husband. In his mid-50s, he was having short-term memory issues, falling ...Read more

Dear Annie: My best friend recently started dating someone new, and ever since, she's become distant. We used to talk daily; now I'm lucky if she texts back within a week. When we do hang out, he always tags along, even for things we used to do just the two of us.

I'm happy she's found someone she likes, but I miss our friendship. I tried ...Read more

Dear Annie: My fiance, "Mark," and I have been together for four years and are set to get married next spring. We live together in a small house we bought last fall. For the most part, things are good. But lately, something's been bothering me.

Mark has a weekly "guys' night" every Thursday with his two best friends from college. It used to ...Read more

As long as we're on the subject of partnership in love -- aren't we always? -- and the difference it can make, this might just be the right time to look at what it is that's prodding you toward commitment. The most common reason, of course, is to banish loneliness forever. Many of us enter (and stay in) a relationship primarily to avoid being ...Read more

Dear Annie: My father has always been a deeply anxious man. If there is nothing to worry about, he invents something. Growing up, this often meant high-stress evenings when my siblings or I were out with friends or running late. I still remember one night when my dad woke my mother in a panic, convinced my brother had been in an accident. She ...Read more

Dear Annie: I've always prided myself on being a good friend. I'm the one who shows up at weddings, baby showers, birthday parties and even moving day. I donate to friends' fundraisers, send thoughtful messages, and make the effort to call, check in and extend invitations. In short, I've always been there when it mattered.

But three months ...Read more

Dear Annie: Last October, my son and I bought a home with a pool. My fiance's son, who had not visited his father in years, offered to drive the moving truck. My fiance could not lift much due to a shoulder injury, but his son helped unload a few items. After the move, they visited once, and I welcomed them with food and hospitality. That was ...Read more

I used to believe in quiet resistance. You choose the right moments to slip wrenches into the gears without drawing the guard's attention. Movies love a covert operator like the whistleblower or the silent saboteur who knows that noise gets you caught. But we're not in the movies.

Lately, the vibes, as the kids would say, feel different. There'...Read more

Trust me. What I'm about to suggest is beneficial. Yes, it may fall into the category of auto-suggestion, but it's the healthy kind. So healthy, indeed, it may very well make you stronger and abler to bring your life in line with your deepest wishes. And isn't that what we all want? Now that we're agreed on that, let's move on to the good stuff....Read more