Even though she’s tired too — My friend is tired. So tired. I sense it through her message on my phone. Even if she doesn’t allude to her fatigue, I know it exists. That it’s seeped into her day. Because she’s the person who does it all. For everybody. Everyday. She’s hanging in there. She’s been…

Does every parent feel this inadequate? — I couldn’t stop the tears. Both my kids were sleeping. At age 8 and age 10 mid-day naps are a rarity. At that moment, napping was a necessity. I would’ve napped myself, had I not had that second coffee. I’d like to think this tiredness was a side-effect from our…

Ooops…. Sorry… There’s a notification on my phone… — I check my phone. Nothing. I check my phone again. It’s been three minutes. Nothing. Seven minutes later, I turn the screen face-down on the table. I’ve made sure the sound is off; no little dings to distract me. I vow to not check it for at least 30 minutes. …

In my family, money was used to obscure reality — Dear Ben, It has been a long time since our last correspondence. Much longer than I’d anticipated. This past month has been… intense. I’ve been battling away at my financial issues on two fronts: As per your advice, I’ve been focusing on reaching out to my networks and developing my…

Exploding the past through a light haze of fiction — “Helen!” I whispered, “Helen!” I listened intently. I lay still in my bed, pinned down by the heavy blankets Maman had piled on top of me. Des catalognes, she called them. They were made by her mother or her mother’s mother. I couldn’t remember. I hadn’t met any of these…

My mother is dead and I need to grieve — A little more than three weeks ago I sat in a funeral home in Laval, contemplating the awkwardness of attempted grace. My deceased father’s only remaining sister had died and I, as the only functional member of my immediate family, had come to pay my respects. I watched in awe…

At least here with me — Dear Lover, Can you allow yourself to rest? Can you, for just a moment, relinquish the belief that if you don’t show toughness you will be diminished? That if you don’t have power over you’ll be forced under? Can you release the need to conquer, subjugate, objectify? The fear that…

Step Two involves allowing myself to be helped — Dear Ben, I gladly accept your warm digital hug and reciprocate. Nope, you’re absolutely right: sharing these details hasn’t been easy. However, it’s still a whole lot easier than continuing to carry this burden alone. I’ve structured my response to your advice in three parts: Reaction, Reflection, and Action. Welcome…

“I left the accumulation of 23 years of shared life behind.” — Welcome to My Money is a Mess! A personal finance advice column from Making of a Millionaire. Read past entries of the column here. Not your standard advice column This is a joint column between Ben Le Fort and Elizabeth de Montréal. Here’s how it works: Elizabeth will write an article to Ben in the…