Ask Me Anything: #1. Open to all.
Drop your questions about dating, relationships, sex, intimacy, social media, single hood, grief. Whatever you want, really. Until I can't answer them anymore.
Update: This AMA is now closed! I answered as many as I could, and I apologize to anyone who didn’t get an answer! You’re welcome to keep commenting on each other's questions and supporting each other! Please keep it loving and tender.
The next AMA will be for paid subscribers only, and I should be able to answer more questions that way. If you’d like to join, support me, or thank me for my work, the best way is to become a paid subscriber. Your support means the world to me!
Hi All -Â
I've been struggling with some emotional turmoil these last couple of days related to my addiction to social media (specifically reading comments and DMs) and my sensitivity to negative and hurtful comments on Instagram, so writing has been more challenging for me this week.
However, I'm still hungry for connection and service, and Substack feels more loving and tender these days. Plus, it lends itself to more in-depth and nuanced conversations about tricky topics. I’m curious about your questions and what you all have to say, so let’s do my first AMA here.
You can ask me anything in the comments until noon tomorrow, and I’ll answer as much as I can over the next day; for now, it's open to all subscribers.
Some Guidelines:
Ask a question in the comments. Note: your comment/question will be visible to everyone—if that's not obvious.
You can ask about anything I write or talk about, but here are some ideas: dating, love, relationships, grief, my father, death, sobriety, content creation, self-employment, my relationship with social media, living in Montreal, my dog Roger, or whatever.
If I don't feel comfortable answering, I'll let you know. No harm, no foul.
I'll open it up to ALL subscribers (not only paid) as an experiment.
Please feel free to comment on people’s situations if you resonate or have something helpful to contribute. Remember to be kind!
I'll answer as many questions as possible until tomorrow at noon. Please understand that I can’t reply to every question.
Also, please don’t leave a novel!
Alright, go for it!
I just moved to a new town and within a few weeks of moving, my dad died which obviously interfered with all my preconceived ideas of how I would meet people. Summer is over, the pool is closed (where I planned on meeting neighbors) and now I’m lonely and also grieving and not really feeling like meeting people. I know you’ve been in a similar position, so do you have any suggestions on how to balance grief, loneliness, and meeting people in a new place all while I just feel like living life under my blankets?? (PS I’m always jealous of your blanket videos 😆)
Hi Shaun, I’ve followed your work for quite some time and I’ve enjoyed the parasocial relationship. You’re human and open and funny. You really come across as a person people want to be friends with. So far I’ve freeloaded, hoping that my presence as a follower and commenter helps with monetizing your work, but based on your recent comments, it feels like I need to pony up to help you continue your process of observing and sharing and helping other folks. The budget is tight, but I hope to participate soon. That’s all. You seem like a great imperfect human on a human journey. Thanks for sharing your life. - Collin