friends
This story is based on an interview with Carlene Jenkins, 89, a retired personal shopper from Austin. It has been edited for length and clarity.Three years ago, it became time for my husband, Robert, 90, a retired dentist, and me to downsize and move from our house in Austin.A lot…
My deeply southern family raised me to never talk about money. We were poor, sometimes living in our car, and occasionally hungry. But we never said it out loud.Now, as a single mother of three kids with significant medical needs, I’ve worked several jobs to pay for their childcare and…
In 2024, I had the privilege of going on multiple solo trips to Europe.On my very first night in London, sleep-deprived and high on my new adventure, I met a lovely local named Nora at a restaurant. We spent several weeks hanging out in London pubs, parks, and restaurants.The following…
After I wrote about moving to the suburbs near Columbia, Maryland, for love — and the nostalgia that hit when I missed living in my hometown, Nashville, after that relationship ended — people began reaching out.They sent kind messages and suggestions for how I could get more involved locally. One…
I’ve always felt most at home in or around the water. Sometimes that meant swimming laps in a gym pool with waterproof headphones on and music in my ears. Other times, it looked like floating on a raft in my suburban New Jersey backyard pool on a summer afternoon, or…
