ArcaMax

Dear Annie: I've been married for 27 years, and by most measures we have a good, steady life. We're healthy, financially secure and get along well. There's no infidelity or drama.

The problem is there's no romance or passion either. I've started to feel deeply lonely in my marriage.

My husband is kind and dependable but distant. He's gone ...Read more

DEAR ABBY: I have been happily married for 30 years. Unfortunately, my wife's family (two older sisters and her mother, who is 97) have rejected not only me, but now my wife. While our relationship with my mother-in-law is cordial, our relationship with her sisters is poor.

Recently, her sisters put their mother into an elder care facility ...Read more

DEAR HARRIETTE: How long do you stay in a relationship when it doesn't seem to be healthy? I've been with my boyfriend for nine years. At first it was great, though he has always been moody. Now his moods are the driving force of the relationship. I never know how he is going to act when I see him. He can be kind one minute and hostile the next....Read more

DEAR MISS MANNERS: I live in a large city, and used to enjoy going out to lunch or dinner with friends. However, the loud music combined with the lack of sound-absorbing materials in restaurants have made dining out a stressful event.

It has become almost impossible to converse in a normal tone of voice. As we age, many of us wear hearing aids....Read more

Dear Annie: We have one son who is married and has two beautiful children. At Christmas time, I go all out to make sure that I gift the grands things I know they will enjoy and appreciate.

We also exchange gifts with my son and daughter-in-law. This past year, it was an Omaha Steaks assortment, which I know they love to receive. In addition, ...Read more

DEAR ABBY: My longtime boyfriend has been divorced for more than 20 years. Every year, his ex comes to stay at his house for a week or two and brings along another female friend. He caters to them, driving them around and entertaining them at restaurants, etc.

I am never included, even though I have expressed an interest in doing so. Am I wrong...Read more

One day soon, in the middle of male-bashing with friends, you're going to discover that you're not participating as enthusiastically as the rest. When that happens, I hope you pat yourself on the back and think of me. It was the exercises of self-exploration in this column that you used to strengthen yourself and become abler to give yourself ...Read more

DEAR HARRIETTE: I went on a wonderful date last week. I encouraged myself to go to a networking event alone and ended up meeting an intriguing gentleman. We both decided to show up for ourselves, and throughout the evening we spoke about how we were new to branching out but determined to do so. The conversation felt illuminating yet platonic, so...Read more

DEAR MISS MANNERS: I am a professor at a small university. One of my colleagues has the annoying habit of entering my office without knocking. These are not social visits: She invariably needs help with her computer or wants to borrow instructional materials, and she just opens the door and walks in.

Before we moved to this building, her office...Read more

Dear Annie: I have a problem that feels small when I say it out loud, but it is starting to take up way too much space in my head.

I have a close friend, "Megan," who has quietly turned into the scorekeeper of our friendship. She keeps tabs on everything. If I take two hours to text back, she will say, "Wow, must be nice to be busy," with a ...Read more

DEAR ABBY: I am a widow who has been dating a widower for the past eight years. He's a wonderful man and the love of my life. We both have children, so we have been extremely careful not to cause them any distress with our relationship, and we have kept our home lives pretty separate.

At first, I thought that when the kids graduated from high ...Read more

DEAR HARRIETTE: My son moved away a couple of months ago. At the time, he told me that he was able to transfer his job, which would make the move that much more seamless. Last week, he called me to tell me that his employment contract will terminate in the next few weeks. I asked him where this was coming from, and he admitted that he knew all ...Read more

DEAR MISS MANNERS: I have just received a delivery notice that two bottles of wine are on the way to me. This is the fourth such delivery, from a financial professional who manages some of my accounts. I have always sent a nice thank-you afterwards.

The problem: I don't drink wine! I just give it to someone who does appreciate it.

What bothers...Read more