by Amy Downing | Sep 4, 2026 | Life After 50
In August 2024, my bone density test results from a DEXA scan came back with a number that got my attention. The T-score measured at my left femoral neck— the narrow section of bone just below the ball of the hip joint – was -2.4. The threshold for an...
by Amy Downing | Aug 21, 2026 | Life After 50
When I planted my first dahlia tubers last spring, I wasn’t trying to become an expert gardener. I simply wanted a beautiful cut flower garden. For several years, I’d grown zinnias and loved walking into the backyard with a pair of clippers and coming back...
by Amy Downing | Jun 9, 2026 | The Friendship Gap
Has anyone else spent years trying to fit into group friendships when they’re really more of a one-on-one friendship person? For years, I assumed that having a close-knit friend group was the goal. Because group friendships never felt natural to me, I thought I...
by Amy Downing | May 2, 2026 | The Friendship Gap
I see a steady stream of posts on Facebook and Reddit from people wondering why it feels so hard to make friends as an adult. It’s something a lot of people are quietly asking—even if they don’t always say it that directly. The situations are often similar. Someone...
by Amy Downing | Apr 14, 2026 | The Friendship Gap
There is a particular kind of social confusion that is hard to put into words. You have friends. There are people in your life, groups you belong to, places you show up. Adult friendships, on paper, are present in your life. But there is still a quiet sense that...
by Amy Downing | Apr 10, 2026 | The Friendship Gap
There’s a kind of adult friendship that works.You see each other. You talk. You stay in touch. You enjoy the time together. Nothing is wrong. And yet, over time, something becomes noticeable.It never really deepens. The conversation stays in familiar territory. The...
by Amy Downing | Mar 31, 2026 | The Friendship Gap
I want to name something about adult friendships that rarely gets said out loud. You have a friend — maybe even a longtime friend — and nothing is technically wrong. You enjoy her. You laugh. You show up. There’s no conflict, no drama, no betrayal. And yet, when you...
by Amy Downing | Mar 13, 2026 | The Friendship Gap
You have friends. Good ones, even. You see people regularly. You show up to things. You enjoy the company. The conversations are warm and easy and familiar. And then you drive home afterward, and something feels slightly off. Not wrong, exactly. Not bad. Just —...
by Amy Downing | Feb 27, 2026 | The Friendship Gap
I want to name something that gets misdiagnosed constantly. A woman surrounded by friends — good ones, kind ones, ones who show up — still feels something hollow at the center of her social life. And the world hands her one word for it: lonely. But that word might not...
by Amy Downing | Feb 13, 2026 | Everyday Tools
Picture this: your thumbs are cramped, your wrists ache, and your eyes are tired from squinting at the tiny screen. It’s a familiar scene for anyone who spends too much time texting or dealing with digital devices. I was tired of the eyestrain I got from typing texts....
