Do you ever feel like you're putting much more into a friendship than your supposedly close friend is? Now what? Have a talk? Or take what you're sure is a hint, and back off -- at least for now, and maybe for good? How do you end a friendship, anyway? You can't stay close friends with everyone you've been close friends with, after all. That wouldn't leave you very much time to...make new friends!

You may have heard the suggestion to keep only those things that spark joy. If you're trying to clear some clutter, Jane and I think it's worth asking if those things spark guilt. The sweater that itches but you'd feel guilty donating because Mom gave it to you. The shoes you feel guilty not wearing because you paid a fortune for them, but they kill your feet. The painting you can't bear to display because it's ugly -- and since that, too, was a gift you stashed it in a closet instead of getting rid of it. You get the idea. The thing you most need to lose is the guilt!

You manage what you measure, as the saying goes, and what you measure shows you what you value. Are you forever comparing yourself against others? Or is it some combination of steps taken, calories consumed, pounds lost? Here's an idea. Measure the success of a day by how many times you were so absorbed in what you were doing you lost track of time, or how many giggles you shared as it wound down.