Breakups7 min read
Getting closure after a breakup when they won't reply
You do not need their answer to close the door. But if there is one thing left to say, there is a way to say it that does not reopen everything.
Read the pieceJournal
Words that cost something
Honest writing on reaching people the hard way: the no contact rule, breakups, estranged family, apologies, and why actions speak louder than words.
More writing
49 piecesGuides6 min read
Is it illegal to contact someone who blocked you?
One message is rarely a crime. A pattern of getting around someone's block is a different thing, and the line between them is not where most people think.
Read the pieceNo contact6 min read
They blocked your number. What are your real options?
Blocked means no more contact on your terms. It does not always mean nothing may ever reach them on theirs.
Read the pieceApologies6 min read
How to write an apology that is actually received
An apology that asks to be accepted is not an apology. Here is the version that works.
Read the pieceFamily8 min read
Reaching out to an estranged parent, sibling or child
After years of silence, the hardest part is not what to say. It is finding a way to say it that does not repeat the original harm.
Read the pieceBreakups8 min read
What to say after a breakup when they have stopped replying
Silence is an answer, but it is not always the final one. If you get one message, here is how to spend it.
Read the piecePsychology6 min read
Why putting money behind your words changes how people listen
Talk is cheap because it literally is. When a message costs the sender something real, it stops being talk and starts being evidence.
Read the pieceNo contact7 min read
The no contact rule and the one message exception
No contact is a boundary against repetition. A single, considered, easy to refuse message is a different thing entirely.
Read the piece