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I admit that I’m an alarmist about secrets because the ones I hid while growing up were truly dangerous--drug overdoses, hitchhiking mishaps, old men with erections, pyrotechnics gone wrong. I want their childhood to be kinder than the one I knew. It’s not that gum and dental floss concern me so much as that little things lead to big things.
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There seems to be some sort of unspoken “girl code” that says once a friend, always a friend, no matter what. No matter what lies she tells either to you or about you. No matter how many relationships with boys/men she breaks up for you. No matter how many new girlfriends she runs off. No matter how many times she ignores your requests for help, while relying so heavily on you for hers. But no matter what, you can’t ignore her calls--she’s your best friend!
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When I was younger, people used to advise each other to “go with the flow.” The theory was that that if you could relax and drift lightly along with “the times,” float on the Zeitgeist and swim with the current, you would remain happy and unscathed by life. This always appealed to me. If you’re going to picture water as the ultimate metaphor for life, then why not be buoyant? Why fight it?
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High school graduation. Most parents look forward to that event with a mixture of pride and sadness. Few bungle it quite as thoroughly as I did.
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Nearly a decade ago, when I was working in Morocco, I attended a retreat for professional women. We were each asked to describe the most noticeable characteristic of another attendee. The woman describing me giggled uncontrollably before managing a whispered comment that brought laughter from the rest of the room. I waited for the translator to enlighten me. “You walk like a man,” she spluttered in hilarity.
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As someone who was single for many decades and who loves to cook, I find it strange that so many people who live alone are reluctant to properly feed themselves. What could be more basic than eating? The consequences of not cooking for oneself--or at least not cooking properly for oneself--are serious. A diet of fast food, restaurant food, processed food, or some combination of these can lead to high cholesterol, nutritional deprivation, vulnerability to serious disease, and weight gain.
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