DEAR HARRIETTE: I helped my friend “Erica” get hired at my company. I usually do not like recommending people I know to work with me, but the job market has been tough, so I didn’t mind. Erica was hired, and unfortunately she has not been performing well. She is about six months in now, and recently the hiring manager asked if I might speak with Erica to see if there’s any additional support that she needs to help her be her best self. I did just that, and Erica did not appreciate it.
DEAR HARRIETTE: I broke up with my boyfriend two months ago. It was a difficult decision, but ultimately I felt it was the right one for both of us. Since the breakup, we hadn’t spoken at all – no texts, no calls, no accidental run-ins.
My space is smaller than usual these days.
Leonard Leo is a conservative activist who helped Donald Trump create the most lasting legacy of his first term: the appointment of 226 federal judges, including three to the Supreme Court. As the longtime head of the Federalist Society, an organization of young conservative lawyers, Leo nurtured and advanced many of Trump’s nominees.
Hello, dear readers, and welcome to our monthly letters column. With lengthening days and warming weather, outdoor activities beckon.
CLINTON’S HISTORY 10, 20, 30 AND 40 YEARS AGO
DEAR HARRIETTE: I’m going through a bit of a rough patch in my career. I’m still searching for what’s next, but it feels like everyone around me keeps receiving new opportunities.
The Republican Party was in desperate straits in the weeks following the 2012 presidential election. There were several reasons. One, its losing nominee, Mitt Romney, was a poor candidate whom a significant part of the GOP base, and an even more significant part of the overall electorate, did not want. Two, its opponent, President Barack Obama, appeared to have found the secret to assembling a permanent winning coalition. And three, Republican leaders worried, sometimes publicly and sometimes privately, that the party was on the wrong side of some key issues, especially immigration.
Dear Doctors: I recently started going to a yoga class at our community center. We were doing deep breathing, and it felt like my lungs weren’t filling up as much as they used to. Do your lungs get less elastic when you get older? Can that be reversed?
• It happens to many homeowners, and when it does, we’re not sure what to do: A bird flies into your home. Keep in mind that the bird is just as scared as you, so bringing more frantic energy to the situation will do no good. First, turn off all the lights and close the drapes and blinds so no window looks like a possible escape. Then open one outside door where the most natural light will pour into the home. This will draw the bird’s attention, and it most likely will fly out the door.