Wow, Alex, thank you so much!! Your kind message brought me to tears. Thank you for reading this, for starters — and for your compassion, for understanding, and for “seeing me.”

You’re right — I spent a lot of my life making myself smaller for others, and this aspect of my life didn’t help. Not doing that anymore.

I’m so pleased you resonated with my end list of points — I presume you mean “the manifesto.” No doubt many will resonate with the points I raised, although they take on new meaning when applied to people with a lot of divorces behind them. Thank you for your understanding about how women have a particular set of pressures when it comes to personal relationships, and men have more privileges.

Even something as simple as “men sowing their wild oats” but if women do that, they’re still seen as slutty. And why are we okay with older man and younger woman, but when it’s older woman and younger man, this is shocking, she’s a cougar, and there’s something wrong with that picture??!

I am deeply grateful to you for reading this, and for taking the time to share your kind thoughts. They meant more to me than I can begin to express. I appreciate you, Alex. Thank you.