Rhyena Halpern

If there is a sexual behavior that predicts sex and relationship satisfaction, it’s cuddling after sex. This is as per Emily Nagoski, as outlined in her book, “Come Together”. This story is a summary of key points that I loved from her book. I loved this book. Nagoski made keeping the spark alive in long term sexual relationships seem natural and easy and welcoming. She brings hope into the bedroom. She bypasses all the emotional dreg and shows us the portal of sexual opening.

Strongmen: Mussolini to the Present by Ruth Ben-Ghiat is a book that clarified for me exactly what is going on at the White House. This book made it very clear that fascist leaders of the last 100 years have in common being surly, snarly, egomaniacs, and that Trump is simply in love with joining their ranks, and is going about it with the devotion of a maniacal, pubescent gamer who wants to blow up the world. My key takeaways: Strongmen argues that today’s leaders also have deeper roots.

I have heard people tell me I am beautiful more in this decade than I ever heard in the prior 60+ years. I am 68 years old. Ever since I was a girl, I heard words describing me as pretty or handsome or good-looking looking or cute. But not beautiful. And I thought being a handsome woman was plenty. I didn’t crave being beautiful. It seemed fraught with weird female fetishizing, the male gaze, and all that gender stuff. So how did I come to be referred to as beautiful in my senior years? I don’t get it.