Okay, part of Trying to Life is being candid and sometimes offering up situations that can serve as a cautionary tale to other people.  That is my goal with this very long storytime / story time episode where a narcissist that I knew from high school came back into my life and convinced me to leave my husband for him, then threw me out on the streets within hours after I did show up.  And, the really embarrassing part is that he used that lack of closure from tossing me in the streets to come back 15 years later with a load of apologies and almost did the same thing to me again!  I'm slow and trust people too much...

I fell head over heels for someone who was just using me in some cat and mouse game for his own entertainment, and I would love to help other people avoid that same kind of pain.  The guy "Jo" didn't really care about me, it was all about taking what he could from me to fuel his own ego, and then off he vanished without a second thought, because I never mattered to him at all.

This story is not designed to make me sound good, believe me, I made choice that were not prim and proper, but I hope my experience can help other people recognize and/or get out of toxic relationships.  

For six months, I was glued to Google Classrooms, attempting to guide ~800 Scouts in earning merit badges.  It was definitely an experience that I don't wan to repeat!  However, I do want to share some of that experience and, in particular, some of the challenges I ran into.  

I love Scouts BSA (formerly Boy Scouts), but I wish there was a more uniform standard between Merit Badge Counselors.  When John X. will sign off on anything, whether or not the work was done right (or at all), it sets a bad precedent for when these Scouts are held accountable and made to follow the badge requirements properly.  I had so many Scouts upset that I wouldn't let them squeak without doing the requirements in full.  But, you can hear all about this in my introspective rant!

Have you ever been trapped in customer service limbo?  Have you ever been pressured, guilted, and forced to take phone calls when you can't hear?  That was my experience with Amazon customer service after they turned on Two-Step Verification without my consent.

My 4-year-old has a bad tendency to destroy everything he touches (on purpose), and mommy is so fed up!  This morning he got into two makeup, and my palettes looked like Thanos snapped them!