It used to be illegitimacy. Or abortion. Or divorce. Stigma was attached to actions that were overtly or tacitly unacceptable. The consequence was banishment from the fold. Being shunned by those whose approval you wanted. Whose love you needed. Some of the reasons may have shifted, but stigma remains a part of western culture. Children […]
Righteous Recreation of Self-Image?
We revisit self-image over and over…
Warped Views? Bad News
Self-image. It’s an evolutionary process.
What Ever Happened to Doctor-Patient Relationship?
Some 120 miles away, a friend is lying in her bed. In pain. It’s been six days. She works around the clock – an independent – and has no medical insurance. Just one more thing that disappears for many women when they divorce. And she is over 50. Without an employer, the cost of medical […]
The Problem with “Positive Denial” is Denial
Positive attitude is one thing. Denial is something else again…
Numbers Do Not Lie
We’d been at it for several hours, side by side, each of us on our laptops. Spread on the small ottoman pressing against my knees were stacks of old tax forms. On the chair beside me, two more folders with notes and figures. We actually began the process days ago, but I couldn’t continue, and […]
Scare Tactics
Scare tactics in recessionary advertising? You bet!
Do You Set the Bar Too High?
Is setting the bar too high as damaging as setting it too low?
Are You Your Mother?
I should have watched reruns all night. Or old films on cable. But I didn’t. Instead, I tossed and turned, dozed a little, then finally gave up as 4 a.m. approached. I’m a challenged sleeper at best, but last night was rough, even for me. A typical day Yesterday was a fairly typical day. In […]
Beauty as Asset: Are You Taking Advantage?
She didn’t realize that I was watching. She was in her thirties, blonde, with black eyeliner and mascara expertly applied. She had an upturned nose, and a bright, wide smile. She was trim, yet curvy, and seemed comfortable in her skin. I noticed her feet. They were perfectly pedicured, her toe nails painted hot pink, […]