Ask Amy: Blindsided wife wonders, ‘what’s next?’
What do you recommend I do?
– Bored Millennial
Dear Bored: Bored people are boring people, and so the obvious answer is for you to set yourself some new goals and seek new and life-enriching experiences.
You could work to enhance your education, set an ambitious health or fitness goal, start a garage band, or read a book a week.
Or, if your work-life will allow it, you could combine two of your interests and work for a charity overseas for a month or two.
A book you might find inspiring is “Be the Hero of Your Life: Ditch the Excuses, Take Your Hero’s Journey, and Find Your Life’s Purpose,” by J. Scott MacMillan (2019, Mobes Publishing). The author describes the concept of “the hero’s journey,” and illustrates how understanding these stages of life can lead you to insight and change.
The hero’s journey typically starts with a “call to adventure.” This could be yours.
Dear Amy: I know you don’t like the term “maiden name,” but what do you propose to replace it with?
The term is outdated and reeks of a paternalistic society, but "birth name" has its own connotations.
– Are There Any Maidens Left?
Dear Are There: You bring up a great point. Women could refer to their original surnames as their “family name.”
Weirdly – just yesterday I was asked about my own “maiden name.” Sigh.
========
(You can email Amy Dickinson at askamy@amydickinson.com or send a letter to Ask Amy, P.O. Box 194, Freeville, NY 13068. You can also follow her on Twitter @askingamy or Facebook.)
©2022 Amy Dickinson. Distributed by Tribune Content Agency, LLC.
