ArcaMax

It’s 11 p.m. on Tuesday, and you’re wrapping up a first date. And it was a pretty good one! It ends with a hug goodbye and tentative plans to get together again for dinner early next week (you know, if you ever hear from him again). As you climb into your Lyft and give a final wave to your date, you’re excited that after a string of "mid" ...Read more

Dear Eric: I have been married to my husband almost 10 years; we have two children. I will not lie and say these past years haven't been without challenge. Separation and divorce have been tossed around.

Lately, my husband goes out quite frequently at all hours of the night. My gut has been telling me something is not right, so I went through ...Read more

Dear Eric: I have been sharing Thanksgiving with dear friends for decades. About three years ago, they learned a friend of mine, with whom they are acquainted, had no plans for the day. So, she has been invited and now attends annually.

These are kind and generous friends, so they offer their guests the opportunity to take home doggie bags. My ...Read more

Dear Eric: I’m a 75-year-old amateur songwriter who enjoys recording what I write. I’m also a widower going on three years. When my wife of 42 years was alive, I wrote songs for and about her and us. I’d record them at home and send the recordings to our boys and in-laws who always responded positively.

I received great joy in sharing my ...Read more

Dear Eric: My husband and I are senior citizens in a large, blended family. Back when we were younger, and both gainfully employed, we paid for everything any time our blended family got together. Over the years, the family grew larger numerically.

The fact that we’re retired seems to make no difference in the expectation. Any time the group ...Read more

Dear Eric: I'm a woman in a new relationship with a fabulous man who doesn't seem to understand an issue I've brought to his attention. I noted recently that when he checks out other women in front of me, I feel disrespected. He listened and said he understood completely.

I didn't have the courage to take it a step further, which is ridiculous...Read more

Dear Eric: The last four years of my father's life, I was a near constant caregiver. I visited him daily, did his lawn work, took him to doctor's appointments, to the barber, occasionally to dinner or a movie. I always took care of his finances and medications.

He would call me as many as 10 or 15 times a day about various things or just to ...Read more

Dear Eric: I am one of many lonely adults struggling to make close friends. It's never come easy for me, and it's compounded by the fact that I'm an introvert who works from home part time with three small children, living far away from family.

My husband is a great friend and support, but I'd love to have more female friends. Several years ago...Read more

Question: “How do you ask if a guy is ready for a relationship if he is ripe off of a five-year relationship?”

This is a question I received recently, and I get some form of the “How do I know if someone else is ready?” question quite frequently.

My response:

“People are notoriously bad at self-assessing their readiness. The only ...Read more

Dear Anna,

Usually Mariah Carey season is my favorite, but this year I’m struggling. Everywhere I look, people are cozying up, planning cute holiday dates and posting about their jolly AF lives. Meanwhile, I’m single, spending my evenings scrolling through dating apps and wondering if I should just settle for someone mediocre so I’m not ...Read more

Dear Eric: My wife and I married two years ago. We were both widowed after long happy marriages and feel blessed that we have found each other.

When our first spouses died, they were each interred in different local cemeteries. In each case, the headstones include each surviving spouse’s name, birth year and, of course, no death year (yet!).�...Read more