As the government shutdown approaches the longest in history – 35 days during Donald Trump’s first term – one word explains the dynamic and duration of the paralysis: trust. Washington today suffers from a Trust Deficit.
DEAR HARRIETTE: I’ve been a therapist for over 20 years, and while I’ve found deep meaning in helping others heal, lately the work has become emotionally exhausting. I listen to people’s pain all day, and I can feel it sinking into me. Sometimes I come home completely depleted, with nothing left to give to my own family or myself. I’ve tried taking breaks, going to supervision, even attending therapy myself but the burnout doesn’t seem to lift. I’m starting to wonder if I’ve simply given all I can in this field.
Sometimes I think we should stay someplace fancier. All our friends do. When my husband, Peter, and I are in Mexico, we stay at Casa de los Soles, a small group of apartment-style rooms owned by our gracious landlord, Jorge. We came here three years ago, when our lodging plans in another town fell through. It was high season, and we were very worried there would be nothing available. But Jorge answered my frantic plea on a San Miguel de Allende Facebook page, and we were delighted with the small, clean apartment in the center of town, just outside the bustling artisan market.
DEAR HARRIETTE: I’ve been living in my apartment for over a year, and I really love it: the location, the space, my neighbors and the fact that the rent is so cheap. The only problem is my landlord. Every time I submit a maintenance request, it takes weeks for anything to get fixed. I’ve had leaky faucets, a broken heater in the middle of winter, and now a dishwasher that hasn’t worked for over a month. When I follow up, I either get vague responses or get ignored completely. I’ve tried to be patient and polite, but it’s starting to feel like my concerns don’t matter. I’ve even offered to find my own repairperson and deduct it from rent, but I was told that’s “not allowed.”
• Volunteers of the Quarter honors from the Oklahoma Historical Society were presented by Lewis Stiles of Broken Bow to the Oklahoma Route 66 Museum Grand Opening Committee, included were George Roper, Lynn Jeffers, Susie Simon, Martin Smith, Brent Almquist, Hub Clapper, Alvin Knauf, Irvin Schmidt, Sheriff Mike Burgess, D’Linda Neidy, and Dee Ann Ray.
ASK THE DOCTORS
Dear Doctors: I have frequent nightmares about being chased where I wake up flailing my arms and legs and crying out. It’s manageable at home but problematic for sleep on long-distance flights. I’ve woken up to find myself grabbing a stranger in the seat next to me.
DEAR HARRIETTE: My friend’s boyfriend and I got into a heated argument at a dinner party. He made a joke about me being a drama queen and gossiping too much. At first, it was funny, but then it felt like he was bringing up situations that I had spoken about with his girlfriend in confidence. Despite his dwelling on this untimely joke, my friend remained quiet, not even nudging her boyfriend to quit.
The Justice Department is evaluating a criminal referral accusing former CIA Director John Brennan of lying to Congress. In the referral, Republican members of the House allege that Brennan lied to investigators trying to figure out what the nation’s intelligence agencies did in their pursuit of President Donald Trump over the Russia collusion matter. The case is a strong one.
Dear Doctors: I do a lot of hiking and camping, and when there is terrain that is rough, a lot of times I’ll get a blister. How do you take care of that – are you supposed to pop it and drain it, or do you just cover it up? I’ve heard it’s easy for a blister to get infected, and I want to avoid that.