December, 2023: This is a revised version of a post that originally ran in January 2021. I am queen of all my sins forgotten. Am I still lost? Once I was beautiful. Now I am myself. — Anne Sexton A few years ago, during the first phase of the pandemic, I caught up with an old friend of mine from my Berkeley days. We’re the same age, both parents, though her older daughter is now out of college, and her younger one is older than Diane and I were when we first met. I’ve been divorced five times, but when we spoke, Diane had just gone through her first, and she’s started dating again. (Diane is not her real name. She gave me permission to tell this story with a pseudonym.) Diane reaches out for advice from an old friend from time to time, and I try my best to help.
Excellent. Thank you for sharing this message.