I completely agree. Thank you for the rant/reality check. To your prompts:

I'm proud of this story because it represents the first time I have been brave enough to publicly talk about this time in my life. It's the first of a series of four so far that will probably be six installments.

https://medium.com/the-authentic-eclectic/the-leap-2d2528267cc4. Honorable mention goes to a piece I wrote in 2019 about the best dog and best friend I ever had the privelege of knowing ("A Lifetime of Dog Years with Tommy," published in 2019 in Tenderly) because any time I can lift him up, I lift me up.

I've been enjoying almost anything by the Garrulous Glaswegian lately, especially this hilarious piece:

https://medium.com/the-authentic-eclectic/the-day-my-dress-did-not-impress-d14682c60fc6.

And, again, sorry to double-dip but this rant caught my eye because it's what I've been thinking for a while now, myself:

https://medium.com/politically-speaking/read-em-and-weep-e4a5c7c8286c