You Gotta Wear a Mask

Mask up Pittsburgh

I am exhausted. Every single interaction with other human beings requires a complex series of negotiations and calculations that include the scientific facts, the interpersonal dynamics, the safety, and more. Earlier this week, we had to go to Lowe’s to purchase an in-store only item for our kitchen. I step out of the car, triple […]

Bill, 52, is a Gay Man Living in a Small Town in Cambria County #AMPLIFY

Gay Cambria County

  Name: Bill Age:  52 County of Residence: Cambria, formerly Indiana Preferred Pronouns: he, him How do you describe your identity? A white gay man who is not butch or fem. Please describe your coming out experience. Where did you find support? What challenges did you face? I never formally came out to most family members. Over time it became […]

My Friend John Should Be Turning 50 Today

Dr. John Ruffing

He wouldn’t want a fuss. He didn’t liked being fussed over. More than likely, he’d want solitude and not be particularly thrilled to turn 50. He would definitely not want to me to write (another) blog post about him. “You have to move on, Susie,” he would admonish me. “Stop living in the past.” Past […]

Being Unfriended on Facebook Without Drama. It Can Happen.

Facebook Unfriending

Earlier this fall, I was poking around Facebook when I realized that I had not read any status updates from a certain person whom I’ll refer to as Glenn. We aren’t tight or really actual friends who hang out in real life – friendly colleagues is a fair description. I respect their work, their values […]

My Dear John Letter

Dr. John Ruffing

Dear John, This terrible day is here again – eight years ago, you died. You were 41. And you died. Eight years are a long time. I find that now when I think of you, my first thoughts aren’t of that day. Instead, I think about when we first met and the times you took […]

The Bible That Got Away From Me

Think of a time you let something slide, only for it to eat away at you later. Tell us how you’d fix it today. It was August 1995. My good friends Charles and Julie were getting married. I traveled from Pittsburgh to their home in Atlanta (yes, in August) for the wedding. I was a […]

The Art and Science of Unmaking Friends

Pittsburgh friends

Do you find it easy to make new friends? Tell us how you’ve mastered the art of befriending a new person. The fastest way in the world to shed yourself of a friend is to tell them the truth – the truth about your diagnosis, the truth about your needs and expectations, the truth about […]

Five Thing Fridays: Inaugural Edition

I read a blog post today that explored the difference between depression and unhappiness. I tell you this because it is important to know that there are some things you can’t practice your way out of. Depression, which is mistakenly used as the antonym to happiness, cannot be cured with a gratitude journal. But it […]