“Don’t you miss him? Having to do everything yourself now?”Ah, the million-dollar question. You could hear the room hush slightly, everyone waiting for my answer. But before I could even respond, my oldest friend—who’s known me since we were both sporting perms and lip gloss in the 80s—burst out laughing. “Miss him? She’s always done… Read More “DIY Diva: 30 Years of Doing It All (While He Played Tennis)”
When I finally walked away from the chaos and control, something unexpected happened. A dear friend from church, who had quietly watched me dim under the weight of a toxic relationship, pulled me aside with the kind of honesty only true friends dare to deliver. With a half-whisper and a full dose of sass, she… Read More “Not Quite George Clooney – But Close Enough!”
Someone recently asked me what is financial abuse. These are the messages I received after the physical abuse to try and win me back!!! I will try and send you an email tonight after the computer man has been. I have not told him I can’t pay him. A horrible and embarrassing situation to be… Read More Financial Abuse
A survival comedy in 10 entries, starring a man, a mouse, and Microsoft Excel. 📘 Entry #1: The Great Milk Reconciliation I once bought the wrong brand of milk.It was logged.Discussed.Cross-referenced with prior purchases.A Google Sheet link was sent to my inbox titled:“Dairy Inconsistencies – Q3.” 📘 Entry #2: The Grandchild Birthday Crisis Spent €20 on a… Read More 🌪️ The Spreadsheet Diaries: How One Man Lost Everything but His Columns
Most people are remembered for their kindness. Their generosity. Their laugh. Maybe even their cooking. Not him. He will be remembered for…The Spreadsheet. Yes, that spreadsheet. Not a spreadsheet.The Spreadsheet.Capital T. Capital S.A monument to obsession. A tribute to control. A shrine to every cent ever spent—by you, of course, not him. 🧾 A Legacy in Rows and Columns For over… Read More “The Spreadsheet: A Love Story Between a Man and His Excel File”
It’s laughable now — but it wasn’t at the time.I remember it so clearly.Standing on the driveway in France, once again about to leave him.Not for the first time. Not even the second. This had become a pattern. But I was getting stronger.Braver.This time, I asked for my car keys and passport back. He’d taken them — again… Read More 🚪”What About Me?” — A Survivor’s Reflection on a Turning Point 🚪
For my healing, and for every woman who has lived unseen. Dear You, Three decades.That’s how long I stood beside you, believing—hoping—you’d one day look past the version of me you had created in your mind… and truly see me. But you never did. And now, you never will. You saw what you wanted to… Read More A Letter to the One Who Never Really Knew Me
They say the eyes are the windows to the soul — and the more we learn about human psychology, emotional intelligence, and trauma recovery, the more we realize how profoundly true that is. Have you ever met someone and felt as though their eyes spoke before their words did? As if one glance could tell… Read More The Eyes: Windows to the Soul and Storytellers of the Unspoken
Let’s talk about where the money really went. For years, I contributed everything I had into what he called “the kitty.”💶 My pension pot🚗 The proceeds from selling my car🛏️ Furniture and bedding – much of it belonging to my daughter, which I paid to have shipped to France🛁 A new bathroom – paid for by me🏡 A… Read More 💸 “The Kitty” Was a Black Hole: My Story of Financial Abuse 💔
Some people spend their lives trying to dazzle others with fake gold — cheap imitations, knock-off brands, and borrowed shine. At first glance, it might sparkle. It might even fool the untrained eye. But when you look a little closer, when time passes and real life begins to test the glitter — it tarnishes. It… Read More ✨ Fake Gold, Cheap Imitations, and the Psychology of Impressing with Illusions
