Dear Helen I help writing a speech. I am an adult woman (45 in November) who decided to fulfill her lifelong dream of being b’nai mitzvah. Long family drama short: my father died before my 13th birthday and my grandparents and mother were in such shock that the whole celebration was cancelled as inappropriate. In…
Dear Helen: What’s contagion etiquette during flu season? I’m talking about people who show up at parties, bridge games or sporting events dripping and sniffling, and then get offended when others who are healthier ask them to wear a mask, wash their hands or go home.To be very clear, I am not a fanatic nut…
Dear Helen: I come from a large family with three uncles and lots of cousins. Every b’nai mitzvah is a chance for someone to show off how rich they are with a bigger and bigger party. I want mine to be small, and I want to ask people to donate some of the money they…
Dear Helen: My life is stuck. I need 2013 advice that’s more than just join a gym and change your job. I need those but I also need a deeper makeover! Ready Dear Ready: Virtually no big change is linear, consistent or fast. Most folks start with some simple prayers: Make it easy. Make it…
Dear Helen: I’m in my 70s and reasonably well off. I don’t have family whom I feel a need to subsidize with my assets after my demise. I’m not a grinch, but the mishpoche are already well off. I’ve begun thinking about death more lately, after a brush with cancer. I am in remission and…
Dear Helen: I recently broke up with my boyfriend of five years. We met freshman year, dated all through college and the first year of relocation and jobs. We lived together for the last two. I got a big promotion and he was in a dead-end job. I watched him become increasingly depressed, angry, jealous…
Dear Helen: Every year I go to temple for the High Holidays, and every year I wonder why I don’t go more often. I came from a family that went to services often, but the older (and busier!) I get, the less time I seem to have for spiritual matters. Is there a way I…
Dear Helen: Can you give me some very practical tips to prepare for a phone interview? I know I could do the job if I get it. But there’s a pre-screening interview – 30 minutes with one person – before an interview with the whole team. I need to pass this test to get to…
