Ignoring them isn’t good enough. — Politics aside, we can all agree that Donald J. Trump is a narcissist. When he doesn’t get the attention, he thinks he deserves — a mind-blowing amount, he strikes out, has a meltdown, or acts outrageously. …

What not to expect with a narcissistic parent — When my cat died, I called my mother expecting sympathy since she loves animals. However, since it wasn’t her cat, she breezed right over his death and went right on to talking about herself. Once again, I’d taken a gamble on a narcissist’s basic humanity and lost. I’ve learned to…

I can’t take it — All I see on Twitter, are the words, Debbie Harry, and trending, and my heart rate increases, I feel flush, and a feeling of extreme dread washes over me. I pray that it’s not like Prince — I’m still not over his R.I.P. trending. I click on her name, and…

Can you be too much of a minimalist? — Have you ever started getting rid of things and found that you couldn’t stop? You’re not a hoarder, but you have more things than you need, and it can feel great to declutter — completely Marie Kondo a place, and end up with only the things you need or love. …

I went to a neighbor to get away from my mother — When I was about ten years old, a family moved across the street and kitty-corner to us. There were three daughters, all younger than I, and two parents. There weren’t a lot of choices, so I became friends with Sonia, the eldest daughter, even if she was three years younger…

My relationship soundtrack — Pierce McIntyre put up a prompt to write about 5 songs and 5 movies that would help people get to know us. How great is that? As I was spending hours thinking about and re-making my list, I noticed how some of my songs weren’t my favorites but were tied…

The benefits to being one or being one of many — Carlos has a great life, but would he live a better life if he didn’t have to compete with four other cats in our house? Cats can’t tell us with words what they’re feeling, and if he feels neglected, we might not know from his body language. I’m not always…

They were unexpected but much appreciated — A random dance number or song can elevate a so-so movie to an iconic masterpiece or double an audience member’s entertainment value. With musicals or rock operas, we know every few minutes someone is going to break out into a song, dance, or both, but the surprise and delight in…

Looking back, I was able to be gentle with myself — Thirty years ago, if you’d have asked me what the most devastating event of my life was, I would have answered not getting into The Groundlings’ Sunday Show. It’s not that I didn’t have anything tragic happen to me; I did. My father died, my brother committed suicide, and I…