Introducing "I'm Glad You Asked"
Collage by Laura Sullivan Cassidy
Anyone around here remember Dear Abby? It’s probably better if not; the old gal got pretty problematic there at the end … but I have to admit that as a teenager, I rarely missed reading her syndicated advice column. Back in those pre-digital days, it was a window into what others were dealing with, and the general process of working through stuck spots. I always wondered how her readers knew when it was time to ask for help, and I wondered how they managed to make her replies work.
A modern reference would be Cheryl Strayed and her Dear Sugar column, but I’m really hoping that **I’m Glad You Asked** --- my new twice-monthly spot here --- will almost be an antidote to all that. In a time when so many of us are learning to tune into our own discernment and become more wary of how codependency shows up in our different relationships, the concept of an outside authority just doesn’t feel right.
I’m Glad You Asked is a new world, interdependent troubleshooting column with double meaning.
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Picture me saying “I’m Glad You Asked” when I read the questions and letters that come in, and picture the person whose letter we’ve published saying “I’m Glad You Asked,” too — because, you see, my replies will be centered on reflecting back opportunities by way of empathetic and provocative questions and suggestions. The idea is that the asker is empowered by my questions, and then by the inner answers that come up. The hope is that they are grateful to be asked—grateful to hang on to self-sovereignty, grateful to be trusted, and to trust themselves.
I always intend to show up powerfully—with those I work one-on-one with and in this new space here on The Fold—and I am so confident about helping folks uncover positive directions and big answers. But it’s rarely about me telling anyone what to do; it’s about me helping people understand what they really want, and why and how to get it and integrate it … and then celebrate it and pay it forward.
Would you like to share what you are currently processing, the questions you have that could benefit from deeper reflection or additional exploration? Email Laura and include "I’m Glad You Asked" in the subject line.
