Once we get beyond the easy yes/no questions, it’s all over for me. If the sign says “Ten items or less,” I check my basket and don’t start a pedantic conversation about whether it should read fewer. Carton of milk, box of Cheez-Its, brick of cheddar, two kinds of cereal, bag of popcorn, jar of extra […]
Maybe they were outside their comfort zones. Maybe they were battling chronic shyness. Or maybe they, like me, were grappling with depression or some other mental illness. Sometimes I don’t want to talk. This may seem weird to people who think they know me, as I’m rather prone to long stories and enthusiastically engaging in […]
Absence really DOES make the heart grow fonder. “It’s never going to work,” everyone said about my long-distance relationship. Thirteen years ago, I threw myself head first into a committed relationship with a man who lived in San Francisco. I lived in Florida. We were separated by more than three thousand miles, strict work schedules, financial […]
I don’t mind talking one-on-one about work related topics, but am very uncomfortable with small talk. By my own admission, I am a hot mess. I am a quiet person, but love conversations with my family and close friends. I am comfortable giving a speech in front of a large group of strangers, but not […]
Do you have a burning question about pregnancy, modern parenting or family life? Send it to Evie at AskEvieColumn@gmail.com or click here to submit your question anonymously. Dear Evie, My daughter craves daily adventures and excitement. At 2.5 years old, she already has more friends than I’ve accrued in a lifetime. She dances for the mailman. She […]
Carving out the space to do nothing—to just be—is harder than one might think in our extroverted culture. I can and I do, but I worry that at best I appear reclusive or weird, and at worst, rude or selfish. Ever since I was a little girl, I have had to explain to people that […]
I don’t need a lot of friends, but I need a few who have genuine personal depth and will let me see it. I think I’m getting ruminative in my menopausal fugue—solidly on the other side of divorce, career reinvention, and starting over in a new place with a new love. I have almost all […]
Want to find “the one” but don’t want to leave the house? Honor your introversion instead of trying to fight it. When someone invites you to a party, is your first thought, “Do I have to?” And is your second thought, “If I go, how soon can I leave?” If so, you might be an […]
Dear Dana is a bi-weekly advice column for humans who engage in romantic relationships. Please send your dilemmas, issues, conundrums, assumptions, conflicts, anxieties, worriments, obstacles, complications, predicaments, queries, questions, and any other synonyms for “problems” to deardana@rolereboot.org. Dear Dana: I am an introvert. I am definitely not shy, but I suck at using my words. When […]
