An advice column

Advice from Marigold

Open for letters

No names needed. I'm a human, you're a human. Just two souls on a bench.

Sometimes we are too close to our own lives to see them clearly. Tell me what you are going through, and I will look at it with you from the outside. I'm not a therapist or an expert. I'm a human, and so are you. I'm a soul, and so are you. Two strangers on a park bench whose paths cross for a moment, and sometimes that is when the truest things get said.

I'm not holier than thou. I make mistakes. I'm human. Hell, sometimes I might even ask all of you for advice. But I think that's what makes this column special. I'm not pretending to be anybody I'm not. I'm being exactly who I feel I am.

One letter, one reply. There is no back and forth, ever. Please put everything you want me to know into this one letter.

Dear Marigold,

It stays private and is never shown or shared. It is used to tell you my reply is ready, and to send new writing if the box below is checked.

No sign up, no account, and no real name needed. I read every letter, and I write back to the ones I can.

No names needed. Leave the nickname blank and your letter will simply be signed "A fellow soul." Whatever you write may be shared as written, so leave out anything that could identify you or someone else.

If you are in danger or thinking about hurting yourself, please do not wait for a letter. Call or text 988 in the US, or your local emergency number.

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