I sat down to eat my oatmeal this morning when I was interrupted by a call from a friend who lives in South Africa. Before heading home from her job, she stopped to wish me a belated happy birthday. I’m always glad to hear from her and for a time we caught up, chatting about mutual

When I was 29, I was dating a man who was intelligent, financially secure and cultured. Nonetheless, I wasn’t attracted to him, despite my mother’s encouragement. “He has beautiful teeth,” she said, fearing I was being picky and would end up alone. At 29, I considered that pos