Yet another slight shift in my SincerelyIreneB posts, but not by my conscious choice, but this has been all over all my feeds for months, and my friend visiting got us talking about this exact subject. Not to mention, a week or so ago, two other friends of mine touched on this topic as well. What is it? The male loneliness epidemic. I’m gonna begin right out the gate with I know many, many a good man. Not the fake, mask-wearing kind, I mean, I do know too many of those, sadly, but I’m stating this so if you want to come at me as a man-hater type, then knock…
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How to Step In and Embrace Your Villain Era?
Villain = Evil, wicked person. Within this popular term or saying, “I’m in my villain-era”, I’m not for one second buying the evil part, but the wicked part is in fact wickedly delectable to me. Not (no longer) giving a damn about what anybody else thinks, being the bigger person, or taking the high road isn’t about you now doing wrong to others who wronged you (well, not always), but about taking back your power to choose. It’s not about resetting your personality to be stuck on cruel, but to finally be selfish—in the most positive sense of the word. It’s a return to yourself. Disclaimer: Also, never be the…
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Why Birthday Milestones Aren’t Ends But New Paths Ahead
Last week, my baby girl turned 18. Like her sister, she’s always been one of the youngest in their friend groups, so her ‘finally turning 18’ was a big deal for her—in more ways than one. And while I was right there with her, mostly, it took a little wind out of my seeing my forever baby girl officially become an adult. Ish. Just thinking about turning eighteen is that moment many of us imagine long before it comes. Imagining what this vision of “adult life” is supposed to look like for us, from the TV shows, movies and books we consumed. Well, that’s how I did it, anyway. Of…
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How to Fill Your Life With Abundance, Not Assignments
Like everyone else I know, I still have bills, work, and endless to-do lists not going anywhere. But in my never-ending search to do more fun shit, as I’ve been flipping through my calendar and the last few months of 2025, it’s stacked more with assignments, not abundance. Yep, there’s holiday things, parties, pop-ins, etc., all of which I love. But I’m fully being greedy and I want more, tons more, of the smaller things that fill me up just as much as the big ones. More time with friends, laughing over foolishness, serious things, and everything in between. So that’s… Squeezing in spontaneous fun Shifting things around for simple…
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Splurge or Save? What’s the Best Choice for You?
Random chats with friends often spin into the best convos. Case in point: my last trip home to London, soaking up some back home goodness and catching up with friends and fam, an interesting topic came up out of nowhere, it seemed. One of the crew brought his new-to-me boo, over my Bestie’s place. Me and my US fam usually split our time home between my sister’s and my Bestie’s pads. The day either of them start charging Airbnb rates, I’ll personally cry buckets in court and sue for emotional distress and abuse. Roll that ‘Help me, I’m poor’ scene from Bridesmaids… now picture me, every single time I travel…
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Are You Aligned With Your “Big Age” Life?
“Big Age” is a funny term I heard from many sources, definitely not one I made up myself, but I’ll definitely keep using. But people throw it around as if it’s a milestone you suddenly wake up to. Like, congratulations, you’ve hit an age—a Big Age—where society expects you to have it all figured out. Career, relationships, money, personal growth—the whole checklist. And yet, here you are, still figuring things out, still wondering if you’re aligned with the life you’re living, especially in this second chapter of ours. Most of us still are, and don’t panic, that’s really not a bad thing. Being in your “Big Age” isn’t about having…
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The Truth About “Catching Up”
And Why I Quit Trying. I used to foolishly believe that if I could just clear my to-do list, I’d finally feel caught up. But I was only clearing it up to make space for the next stack of to-dos, and the next and the next. Another work email to answer, another post to write, another idea I swore I’d get to once “things slowed down.” The older I get, the bigger the backlog seems to fill up, in all things. Half-written blog drafts. Unread books. Old voice memos with “brilliant ideas” I’d never started. And the work and family stuff is too mammoth to even mention. The lists, plural,…
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When A Perfect First Date Turned Sour Over Steak
(A short story by Irene B.) Remi wasn’t superstitious, but when she realized this was date number seven, she decided to give the universe one last shot. Seven was supposed to be lucky, right? So far, though, luck had been upside down and flat on its ass. There was open-mouthed chewer Curtis, who launched a piece of moist cornbread straight from his gums and onto the edge of her bread plate. It dangled next to the very piece she’d been eager to try, but that was now ruined. Curtis had shared during a video chat that he’d had his tonsils out in his 30s, a revelation she had initially found…
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The Key to Knowing What Others Really Value…
So You Can Act Accordingly Honest mistakes aside. Way, waaay, over to the side. If someone said to you “I’ll text you back” four weeks ago and never did… they didn’t forget. They chose something else. If they’re too “busy” for a five-minute check-in, that’s a clear decision they’ve made. And yeah, it feels personal, because it is. At any age but especially ours, here’s where to stop internalizing it as a flaw in your character, your worth, or ability to maintain relationships. It’s not you. When I miss a call or text from any of my peeps, and it happens often because … well, life and no one’s perfect,…
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How To Say “Oh, No, but Thanks”, When You Don’t Want To Do Something
I Don’t have to. Don’t desire to. Don’t need to. And said just like that. I can hear myself say it. Clear, crisp, firm. My kindest boundary. Being a Londoner, though I’ve lived in the USA for two decades now, occasionally I’ve had to explain to folks that my use of “sorry”, before I speak, isn’t what they think though it’s an easy mistake to make. I’m not walking around burdened by guilt and shame for every tiny misstep I make. And I don’t mean to speak for every Londoner, but it’s cultural and a term for an “Oops”. A version of “excuse me”. A filler word we throw in to keep things…
