Category: Asking Eric

Dear Eric: I am not sure where to go with this as that money was a significant part of our retirement.

Dear Eric: I don’t have a degree because I lost motivation for everything, I thought I wanted to learn. I’ve grown paralyzed at the thought of speaking with others, even to the point of making and keeping doctor appointments.

Dear Eric: He goes at 11 p.m. or midnight. He said that going at that time there are just a couple of people there and he has access to all the machines, which is fine. The downside is that when he comes back home at 1:30-2 a.m. the garage door or the lights or the door just opening wakes me.

Dear Eric: My women friends all have adult children who are entering the era of life that my kids were experiencing when they died. It is so difficult to socialize with these women because they talk about their kids and even complain about them. It is very stressful because I must play along as if I’m interested. I’m not.

Dear Eric: I am 80 years old and have been married to the best possible wife for 33 years. We connect and are soulmates. My question is: why have I recently found myself jealous about her affair with a 17-year-old high school student when she was a 27-year-old teacher?

Dear Eric: I have a sibling who carries a thinly-veiled disdain for those whose dietary choices or exercise habits are less pristine than what she considers healthy. At large and small family gatherings, she notices who went back for seconds, and who ate how many helpings of dessert; and makes a “joke” about it (to others/not to the culprit).

Dear Eric: One Saturday, after I’d been at work, I came home to find that Marie was unexpectedly in my house, had repositioned all the furniture around in my lounge room, installed a large wall-mounted flat-screen TV, and painted two of the walls in the lounge room a deep maroon color!

Dear Eric: My problem is that I love uniform ornaments and decorations. I want everything to match. I have the perfect set for our Christmas tree. I know she gets us these out of love, but how can I kindly ask her to stop? Or would it be terrible if I had a separate, smaller Christmas tree just for these ornaments?

Dear Eric: My husband and I have been married for 11 years. When we got married, he was slightly hard of hearing. The past few months his hearing has gotten worse to the point that I have to raise my voice and repeat several times for him to hear me.

Dear Eric: I am a widower in my mid-70s. No family, no kids. Multimillionaire; drive a Maserati; am social; look (if friends are truthful) 20 years younger; well-traveled. But I have no friends