ArcaMax

Dear Eric: My husband of more than 40 years left a note for me to come home to and was gone. It came as a huge surprise as every day he told me he loved me, up to the day before he left.

Our then-25-year-old son, too, was blindsided.

My husband ran to a recently widowed “friend.” It’s been five years. I have never heard from him again, ...Read more

Dear Eric: Recently I was dumped by my fiancée after dating for two years (no great loss according to my mother and friends). I noticed at work a young girl,18, just graduated from high school, who is cute and seems very nice. I am thinking of dating her, but my friends said she is too young – five years – and, as I have a four-year college...Read more

Dear Eric: Do I have to be friends with my friend’s other friends?

I have a good friend, D. Our sons are good friends, too, so we see each other often. D and her three friends have known each other for a really long time.

I didn’t really get close to them – I am fairly introverted. I never really liked one of D’s friends, E. She is a ...Read more

Dear Anna,

I (31F) called off my engagement about a year ago and moved to a new city. A few months later I matched with a guy (26M) on an app — the second person I dated post-breakup. We hit it off immediately, but I wrote him off as relationship material: He’s five years younger, still finishing grad school, and had never had a serious ...Read more

For years, I’ve worked with clients who come to me saying the same thing: “I just can’t find the right person.” When I dig a little deeper, a common theme appears — they’re clinging to a very specific idea of who their “type” is. (It often starts with a physical attribute, but it goes beyond that.) Here’s the kicker: That type ...Read more

Dear Eric: About once a month a group of us from church go out to dinner. At our last dinner, I was sitting next to a woman I know casually. The day after this dinner, the woman complained to the person who organized the event that she had to go to the ER because of a reaction to what I ordered. Seems she is allergic to fish, which she knew, but...Read more

SACRAMENTO, Calif. — On a summer Tuesday evening, a group of 18 young women gathered at Alma Wine Bar in downtown Sacramento — most of them complete strangers to one another.

By the end of the evening, fueled by a few glasses of wine and a handful of casual board games, new friendships were forged and potentially long-lasting connections ...Read more

Dear Eric: My parents married as teens and had two children: me, and my younger sister, “Jodie." They divorced when I was two and I never saw my father again. My mother and her second husband were abusive to us.

As an adult, I have maintained as calm a life as I can, and I have a husband of more than 40 years, two wonderful children, and a ...Read more

Dear Eric: My husband and I have been living far from any of his relatives for several decades, and now we are contemplating moving to an area where many of his relatives live. They are generally pleasant and well-meaning people, and I mostly enjoy their company.

My husband’s relatives (immediate and extended family) are all Christians for ...Read more

Dear Eric: I’m a 58-year-old daughter to a 94-year-old father and an 83-year-old mother. I love my parents dearly, but we have had no contact for nearly a year. I know that at any time my father and/or mother could pass. This is the one stressor in my life – that I will lose one or both of my parents when we are at odds.

My mother and I are...Read more

Dear Eric: I am a 64-year-old male with nipples that seem to stand at attention practically all the time. While my girlfriend doesn't seem to have a problem with it, per se, she makes light of it quite often, and I am starting to feel a tad on the freakish side.

"How are Pikes Peak and Mt. McKinley today?" is one example of the daily jibes. I ...Read more