ArcaMax

Dear Annie: For the 23 years I've been married, I've cooked dinner for my husband nearly every night. He has no idea how much planning, shopping and cleanup goes into it. I think he thinks the food just appears.

Recently, he's turned critical about nearly every meal: The chicken's too dry, the vegetables are too salty. I've told him how ...Read more

Dear Annie: My wife, who is 62, has always been insecure about her weight, even though I've never once cared or thought she needed to change anything. A few months ago, she decided on her own to start a GLP-1 medication for weight loss, and she's doing it under a doctor's supervision. She's thrilled with the results so far. I'm happy she's ...Read more

Ask yourself when love comes to a halt: What can I do to nourish myself, to fill the emptiness? Has my life changed so totally that I need to figure things out again? Or is there something I postponed for the sake of being coupled? And is this the perfect time to get it done, with no excuses accepted? Am I a little wiser for the next romantic go...Read more

Dear Annie: I have a 9-year-old son from a previous relationship and a 3-year-old daughter with my current partner. He is a wonderful, involved father and partner. He makes lunches, does laundry, cleans up after dinner, helps with bedtime and will often notice something needs to be done before I even ask.

The strange part is that instead of ...Read more

Dear Annie: I have a friend I've known for more than 30 years. He is a good person, loyal and generous, and we share a lot of history. The problem is that he has absolutely no sense of when he has lost a room.

At dinner parties, he can take over the entire conversation with a story that lasts 15 or 20 minutes. And these are not short, lively ...Read more

Dear Annie: I have been married for 45 years to a man who has never wanted much adventure in his life. His idea of a big night out is taking a short drive, finding a supper club, eating dinner and coming straight home so he can settle into his recliner.

For years, I begged him to travel with me. I wanted to see new places, experience ...Read more

Some weeks have themes. The theme for my week was authenticity. I had to make choices about what it meant to live an authentic life, and unfortunately, someone who embodied it better than almost anyone else went to rest this week.

The doomscrolling looked more positive, if only because it was filled with tributes to Dolly Parton. More than ...Read more

Dear Annie: I feel a little silly even writing this because my mother is a wonderful grandmother. She absolutely adores my children, and they adore her. But lately, I've started to feel like she is much more interested in being their grandmother than in being my mother.

A few weeks ago, I called and asked if she wanted to meet me for lunch. I...Read more

Dear Annie: Seven years ago, I retired and moved to a different state.

A friend of mine who lives in my old town has continuously used my new house like her personal hotel. She has family and friends in my area and will text, "Are you open to company?" when she wants to come visit. When she does, she only sleeps at my house while she does ...Read more

Dear Annie: I'm going through a difficult divorce after 58 years of marriage to an alcoholic. Recently he told me two things I never knew: that he slept with my sister the night before our wedding and, years later, when they were both in the military, with a friend of mine.

I always knew my sister flirted with him. She'd tried the same with ...Read more