Remembering my friend Stevie from the Casa Del Sol Motel — I like to make friends with the people who camp on my street. I give them food and supplies and listen to their stories. Recently I had to set some compassionate boundaries, but mostly we get along. They’re stuck in an endless cycle of drug addiction and the mental instability…

When you know, you know. — If you can read people well, you know if they’re a good fit before you meet or go out on a date. You don’t always know why you know. But you know. And it’s painfully obvious. …

And it’s not what you might think. — Do women over age 50 have trouble finding a date because we’re too old? I know it’s BS, but the media can make us seem undesirable after a certain age. …

How microdosing psilocybin dismantled my old patterns and hit the refresh button on my life — I love shrooms. Other mind-altering substances don’t work for me. But psychedelics? I never had a problem. Before I learned the science behind them, I knew they weren’t harmful. I’ve been sober for two decades for a good reason. Alcohol is dangerous for me, and I should stay away from…

The invisible struggle that comes with dermatillomania — It was 1988, around 9 AM at Carpinteria High School, when I walked to the nurse’s office. “I feel sick and need to go home.” I wasn’t physically ill, but there was something wrong with me. I had pimples for a few years and developed occasional painful cysts. That morning…

We might as well enjoy ourselves while we still can — This week has been all about appreciating the people in my life while they’re here. I keep getting not-so-subtle reminders that we don’t live forever, and it’s changing me. My daughter stayed home from school for five days with what we think was mononucleosis (mono)— wasting away, it seemed. She’s…

It’s time to make new choices and find someone my age — Since I got sober at 31, I’ve taken longer to reach maturity than my non-alcoholic peers. I spent my 20s getting drunk, then my 30s and beyond in recovery. Maybe that’s why I have my eye on singles in their 30s. Even though I know most of them aren’t a…

But no one can duplicate my fabulousness — Someone made a duplicate account pretending to be me yesterday. It’s a common thing for those of us who attract attention with our talented prose. No one has ever spammed, scammed, or phished me on this platform before, other than fake followers here and there. I guess that means I’m…

I’m aging like a fine wine, but will eventually become vinegar — “You’re almost 52,” my oldest daughter reminded me the other day. She’ll be twelve in November and has a sister who’s eight. It made me feel like I’m officially getting old. I vaguely recall thinking my parents were old when I was eleven. My dad was only 37, and my…