Job-seeker debates opportunity due to location

DEAR HARRIETTE: I recently managed to land a job after months of searching in this tough job market, and while I’m incredibly grateful for the opportunity, I’m struggling with the decision to take it.

‘The return of the king’: Trump is not king

Elon Musk hailed Donald Trump’s second presidential term as “the return of the king,” and Trump is acting that way, governing as if he possesses a divine right to exercise unlimited power.

Always check when you pick up your cake

My father and my niece have a wonderful tradition. Born just 69 years and one week apart, they have celebrated their birthdays together for as long as my niece has had a birthday. Last night, we all went out to eat and then went to my sister’s house to open presents and have birthday cake. I live just a few blocks from a wonderful Italian bakery. They make the best chocolate cake ever, so I offered to bring the cake.

In 1884, the first volume of the Oxford English Dictionary was published.

Elizabeth Ko, M.D.

Dear Doctors: Ever since I was little, I have absolutely hated the sound of other people chewing. Whenever I try to explain this to someone, they think I’m overreacting or even making it up. Is this something you have come across before? Does anyone know why it happens?

Employee worried about long-term future

DEAR HARRIETTE: I am currently working in an industry that I love, but it is unstable. I’ve been working on the creative side of TV and film for the past eight years. I am currently employed and thankfully have never experienced being laid off. I’ve done a lot of freelance work, so I know what it feels like for a project to end, but honestly, I have always been lucky enough to be offered new work pretty steadily at the end of projects I’ve worked on. As of late, though, I see how much the industry is changing and how many strikes and layoffs are happening, and I have developed crippling anxiety. Even though I currently love the role I’m in and it is full-time (not short-term), I find myself always worrying about the what-ifs of my industry and my future. It is emotionally chaotic and keeps me from being able to focus, and it pushes me into negative thought patterns. How do I keep myself from worrying about what’s to come? – Instability DEAR INSTABILITY: Start by practicing gratitude every day. When you wake up, be thankful for the work and life that you have, and focus on giving it your all.

Empty nester feels overwhelmed by changes

DEAR HARRIETTE: The past year has been full of change for me ... way too much change. Early last year, I lost my job. It was a job I had nurtured for the past 25 years, a place I’d been attached to since I graduated college, a job that saw me get married and have two children. That was a hard loss.

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