Harriette Cole: I want to make the most of my summer abroad. Do I need to warn my boyfriend?

DEAR HARRIETTE I am a college attendee I am abroad for the summer and I ve made up my mind that I d like to have a fling while in Europe Related Articles Harriette Cole I accidentally let slip my friend s happy news and she s furious with me Harriette Cole My employee was so nasty toward me that I m not going to pay her Harriette Cole It s overwhelming to be the flourishing sibling Harriette Cole I was rattled to see my enemy in the group chat for our girls trip Harriette Cole Out of nowhere my neighbor set the conversation on an unpleasant path I haven t quite mapped out whether I d rather it be a one-time thing or something ongoing while I m here but I do know I d like to make the most of of my experience away The issue is that I am technically in a relationship at home My friends have been encouraging me to tell my partner my plans but part of me doesn t want to I don t want something temporary and spontaneous to ruin the relationship I want to come home to My friends think I should trust my partner to be open-minded I m worried My boyfriend and I have never even flirted with the idea of an open relationship and just the mention of my summer interests may cause a breakup without even having done the deed Should I be honest or should I just take Europe by storm and see how things pan out It may not even happen Summer Fling DEAR SUMMER FLING It seems you have given a lot of thought to the what-ifs without giving equal thought to the repercussions of those what-ifs Pause for a moment You are young This is the beginning of your adult life How do you want to live it Do you want to become someone who lies or do you want to live your truth whatever that is While it may seem complicated right now to tell your partner of your interests if you tell him that you care for him deeply but want to hold space for a romantic experience while you are away you will have informed the truth and created a path for the two of you to grow together in your young relationship If you lie and he finds out you will be dealing with trust issues which can be insurmountable DEAR HARRIETTE I ve been stuck in a rut I lost my job a scant months ago and have been having a rough time landing a new one At first I decided to focus my capacity on having a more positive mindset It was working for several months I was feeling much better mentally and I was quite hopeful reminding myself that whatever s meant for me will happen The financial market has me concerned though I keep applying for jobs to no avail I keep seeing everyone around me achieving more and growing in their careers and I feel left behind I am losing hope How can I take care of myself emotionally and financially as we approach a workable recession Losing Hope Related Articles Dear Abby After one date he was calling me baby and he flipped out at my cooldown text Asking Eric My daughter says she s a minimalist and won t take my heirlooms Dear Abby My brother left me an accidental voicemail I wasn t supposed to hear Asking Eric Why did they text me and then leave me hanging Harriette Cole I accidentally let slip my friend s happy news and she s furious with me DEAR LOSING HOPE Stop comparing yourself to others Continue to look for work but look more broadly Search outside your natural career trajectory As the market tightens consider alternative jobs so that you can have an income Get creative Cut your expenses as dramatically as you can Stay working Exercise eat healthy and volunteer somewhere to help others who are in need Believe it or not serving others can brighten your spirit Harriette Cole is a lifestylist and founder of DREAMLEAPERS an initiative to help people access and activate their dreams You can send questions to askharriette harriettecole com or c o Andrews McMeel Syndication Walnut St Kansas City MO