HeyJaredSusan R.
I write true stories about small town everyday life, grief, family, and starting over, and about the way society, politics, and the lack of basic manners keep reshaping how we treat each other.
- Indexed issues, last 90 days
- 4
- Latest publication
- Sep 13, 2026
- Audience
- Checking…
- Earliest in this view
- Aug 11, 2026
Latest issues
The Anatomy of an Unscripted Smile (opens the original)
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It starts with a photo sent across a text thread on an ordinary afternoon.There I am, tucked away at an outdoor concert years ago, hidden behind a USC Gamecock blanket while trying to get a moment of privacy. My daughter and my best friend’s son are nearby, part of the chaotic, wonderful energy of that day. I look at myself in the frame, feeling good in my own skin, but what really catches my throat is the expression on my face.It is a look of genuine, unmanufactured happiness. No posture put on
Finding Love in 2026 (opens the original)
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Finding love again in 2026 is not easy. I spent several years on a spiritual journey, trying to heal and find myself. It was not about dwelling on the past, but about trying to understand where things went wrong, how my own actions contributed to past relationships, and what I needed to fix within myself. It is easy for people to say not to look back, but if you never look back, you can never see what you might have done wrong. As the saying goes, history repeats itself, and that is so true. You
Finding the Normal (opens the original)
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Dating in my fifties after surviving divorce, breakup, and total relationship burnout feels like navigating a world where the rules were written by people who forgot what real connection even means. Carrying the weight of past hurts makes jumping into the modern dating pool not just intimidating, but outright exhausting.For so long, the modern scene seems fixated on immediate gratification. If I am not willing to rush into physical intimacy right away, a lot of men simply walk away. They mistake
The Ex: Breaking the Contract (opens the original)
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Some things in life you forget. Some things you never forget. For me, May 2004 was a day I’ll never forget. It changed my whole outlook on life. It changed what I thought my future was going to look like, and what my children’s future should look like. I struggled so hard those next few months.It all started midmorning. I can’t remember the exact time. I just remember the phone call. The phone rang, and it was a woman’s voice. She was frantic, just yelling, and I was like, "Who is this? Calm dow
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