With the exception of the bacon, that egg breakfast is pretty damn healthy, no need to feel bad about that.

That lemon pepper chicken and those scallops...I think I’ve seen heaven. 

That lemon pepper baked chicken is a strong opener. It looks wonderful!

I was very fortunate to have a freezer full of beef short ribs to make my mom’s Korean short rib recipe (having a working Korean grilling station is also another blessing) and several jars of kimchi to help me through the mental and emotional distresses.

That all looks delicious.  I would have eaten every last one of those dishes.

I haven’t even cooked 19 times since the isolation. I either make big batches or just don’t eat. I guess this says a whole lot more about my mental health. ://

People who put sugar in cornbread (beyond 1T) are wrong.

Counterpoint: soup is delicious. Nothing beats a hearty bowl of chicken soup and a grilled cheese made with sourdough on a cold wintry day. The difference between good soup and shitty soup is all in the broth. Brown chicken wings/necks/backbones, etc., in a deep pot, add aromatics into the rendered chicken fat, add a…

I agree with your grandfather. Soup is for sick people only. Every time I was offered soup at a meal, I would think, “Do I really look that bad?” 

Thank you so much for what you’re doing and sharing. It’s vital and much appreciated.

I'm working for a psych unit right now as I read this. Without a doubt, psychiatry is as important as ever right now but also it's certainly been made more complicated to deliver services in the current situation, all excellent points made here.

And now my eyes are sweating again.  My mom was the last of her “group” - all of her friends, most of her relatives in her age group, my dad, his brothers, their wives - all gone.  There were 7 of us, but it just wasn’t the same for her, and I knew it.

My parents are old. My dad is in his 70's, and Mom is almost there. Dad has blood pressure issues, making him doubly at risk. They are blithely pretending to me that COVID is just a thing that happens to other people, so I don’t worry. These are the same people who wouldn’t tell me when my dad progressed into Stage 4…

Thank you 

This and this and this. My dad has stage IV cancer. He lives in WA state and we live in Chicago. We spent Christmas with him and I’m glad, but we were going to try and go back every few months this year – even though his treatment has slowed the progression significantly, we already didn’t think he’d make it to next…

Regretful times for those of us who thought that if we made something of ourselves, everything else would just fall in line. You capture the heartache of so many of us, Danielle. Thank you.

Achingly beautiful and heart felt.

Thank you for writing this. I’m sitting here in tears because I have been having the same thoughts about my mom.

I am so sorry that someone else is going through this but it does feel better to know I’m not alone.

I dearly hope that the vaccine estimates are off and we can both see them again soon. 

Confession: Did not feel for the agoraphobe until now. I did not know that I have the opposite condition. I feel like I’m suffocating without my normal level human interaction. Which probably drives introverts into their domiciles in the first place. I’m the guy who strikes up conversation in the deli line. Forgive…

Even introverts have their limits. This situation is about to test that.