Most “used to be” servers I know, including me, bend over backwards to be respectful and kind to those who are in the trenches now. My husband just passes me the bill now in restaurants because he knows that whatever he tips, I’ll likely add extra to it anyway. This girl must have been a real piece of work. Dodged a…

1. Rude or dismissive to waitstaff or others. If you’re not kind to service people, you’re not kind.

I’ve been keeping our family recipe collection on Dropbox for a while now. It’s more typing, of course, because I type up each recipe in Word and save it as a separate file, but it’s easy to search, and when a friend wants a recipe, it’s easy to print one up from wherever I am. I can also use whatever device I have…

My hero!! Thanks!

I’d like to know that, too.

I prefer the American male accent. The female Siri (American or British) always sounds so smug and condescending to me. Hmm, that might be an issue for me to work out in therapy.

Thanks for the great, practical tips for dealing with anxiety. I especially liked the idea of “practicing” calmness and relaxation at time when you’re not actively suffering.

I disagree. Perhaps it has fallen out of common practice, but it’s not a relic by any means. If anything, the rarity of it makes it even more meaningful to the receiver, especially if the note writer makes an effort to personalize it and acknowledge the thought that went into selecting the gift.

I second that recommendation. I was so tired of buying purses that wore out after six months to a year that I finally splurged on a Saddlebag satchel about two years ago. It is gorgeous. I wear it crossbody style. It’s so tough I don’t imagine I’ll ever need to use the Saddleback 100 year warranty. I season it every…

Yes! This is exactly my thinking about the whole “Starbucks Cup Controversy” that recently went viral. It was baffling! I’m a Christian, with lots of friends who are Christians, and I couldn’t point to a single person who cared about the stupid cup thing. That’s not to say there aren’t whackdoodles out there who think…

For pity’s sake, don’t wake them up!!!

Ironic that the only people who can’t afford to pay for ad-free services are those who likely also lack disposable income to buy whatever’s being advertised.

I really appreciate the coping skills suggested here. I recently recognized how much I am affected by other people’s stories and emotions and stresses. Not everyone—just the family and friends I am closest to. I don’t want to stop feeling for them, but I do need some better self-care habits for those times when I’m…

Bags. After a parade of fall-apart purses and tote bags, I finally splurged on a Saddleback leather satchel with a 100 year warranty. The more I use it, the more beautiful it gets. I’m also a big fan of Timbuk2; my laptop messenger bag wears like iron and hasn’t shown signs of wear after 8+ years of hard use.

And then make sure you DO get back to them, whatever your answer is. As someone whose job often requires asking others to volunteer, I always appreciate getting a firm answer one way or the other in a reasonable time. If it’s a no, that gives me more time to approach someone else. People that employ “let me think…

After we polished off a half gallon of Breyer’s Mint Chip, I’d try to remind them of their previous successes and the times they’ve come through adversity in the past. I’d let them mope for a couple of days, then give them a swift kick in the butt to get them up and out the door in search of new possibilities.…

This is how we do things, too. Even if you never ask for repayment, loans create tension between lender and debtor. If you can afford to help out, give it as a gift. If they want to repay you, suggest instead that they pay it forward when they get back on their feet. I find that it strengthens friendships to be there…

You've hit the nail on the head. Balance. When I read the Good Enough article, I was thinking primarily of its implications for consumerism. Now that we have access to innumerable customer reviews and discussion boards and articles about items we're shopping for, we can spend hours researching prospective purchases,…

Just out of curiosity, what is vegan leather? I've never heard of that before.

This is great advice. When my husband and I were going through marriage counseling, some of the issues that I was angry about really kept me stuck for a while, even after we had talked them out and seemingly resolved them. I didn't want to keep bombarding him with my residual resentment, so instead I wrote about it,…