Ann Cannon
Salt Lake Tribune
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Past articles by Ann:
Ask Ann Cannon: I’m high risk for COVID-19, but my long isolation makes me feel so disconnected
Dear Ann Cannon • As an older person in the “vulnerable population” regarding the coronavirus, what can I do to still feel a part of the world? I feel as though by not doing much (self-quarantining), I am losing touch with people and losing my feeling of being a part of humanity. I do make telephone calls and bake things for my neighbors once in a while, but it’s not easy being part of this… → Read More
Ask Ann Cannon: I lost two friends to the coronavirus. A friend compared my grief to losing her dog.
Dear Ann Cannon • Here’s one I’ve been dealing with the last few days. What do you do when a friend tries to trump your grief of losing friends in Europe to COVID-19 with the death of a treasured dog? I know I didn’t often see my two friends that died, but grief is grief. One person’s grief is not more important than another’s. → Read More
Ask Ann Cannon: I’m looking for ideas to serve others as well as stay sane
Dear Ann Cannon • During this weird time of the pandemic, I have been struggling to find ways to cheer myself up. I’ve heard it said the best thing you can do is serve others. I’m having a difficult time finding ways to do that. I have one elderly neighbor who needs groceries every few weeks and I enjoy doing that for her. With the social distancing in place, I’m looking every day for little… → Read More
Ask Ann Cannon: What do I say when a loved one asks for prayers and I don’t pray?
Dear Ann Cannon • When tragedy strikes and a friend or family member asks, “Pray for us,” do you have some good responses for someone who cares but doesn’t believe in prayer? (This time it’s a member of our extended family hospitalized with coronavirus.) → Read More
Ask Ann Cannon: What book should I read while quarantined?
Dear Ann Cannon • You are a writer and a lover of literature. Can you give us a suggested reading list of books to read while in isolation? → Read More
Ask Ann Cannon: Apparently my mom dislikes my son-in-law. And she’s wrong.
Dear Ann Cannon • I recently heard from a family member that my mother dislikes, for some reason unknown to me, my wonderful son-in-law. Apparently, she has said that she has never liked him and that my daughter should have never married him. I am trying to chalk this up to the ravages of aging, but it has really hurt my feelings and would devastate my family if my daughter and son-in-law ever… → Read More
Ask Ann Cannon: I’ve fallen out of love with my boyfriend
Dear Ann Cannon • My boyfriend and I met four years ago when we were both freshmen in college. I recently asked him if we could take a break from each other, and while he wasn’t happy about it, he agreed to. As it turns out, I’ve discovered during our time apart that I actually don’t want us to be a couple any more, although I would still like to be friends. He’s a good guy, and at this point we… → Read More
Ask Ann Cannon: My sweetheart died on Valentine’s Day, but I don’t want my grief to spoil the day for others
Dear Ann Cannon • It will be seven years since my sweetheart husband and amazing father to our five children passed away quite unexpectedly on Feb. 14, 2013. As all that have experienced and grieved the death of a loved one, we, too, as a family have done and are still doing that. That date will always be difficult for us. Herein lies the quandary. My heart aches that our children and their… → Read More
Ask Ann Cannon: My daughter’s bestie is transitioning to male. Should their friendship change, too?
Dear Ann Cannon • My daughter is in her mid-20s and recently learned her best girlfriend growing up is now transitioning to become male. While my daughter wants to support her friend, she feels sad that she didn’t see this coming and a little uncomfortable being close to this person as she once was. Still, she doesn’t want him (his preferred pronoun) to think she doesn’t like him and certainly… → Read More
Ask Ann Cannon: I’m a widow, but can I still wear my wedding ring?
Dear Ann Cannon • I have been widowed for four years, but I continue to wear my wedding bands. I’ve been criticized and told that it’s inappropriate to wear wedding rings when widowed, but I think it shows respect for my very long marriage. Furthermore, I’m a wealthy, feisty 87-year-old woman and want to discourage men from trying to date me. Your thoughts? → Read More
Ask Ann Cannon: My manager ignores me but chats with others on the team. What gives?
Dear Ann Cannon • I feel like my manager hates me. No, really. She hardly ever talks to me while she’ll readily chat and laugh with other people in my department. She never gives me feedback (negative or positive) about my work and never thanks me for going the extra mile. I have no idea what I did to deserve this treatment, and it’s making it difficult to feel motivated to do my best. What… → Read More
Ask Ann Cannon: How do I conquer my fear of failure?
Dear Ann Cannon • I’ve always had a fear of failing! I get easily overwhelmed when I can’t understand or figure something out and have no one to turn to or anyone in the family who can relate. Anything that challenges me freaks me out. What can I do to overcome this? → Read More
Ask Ann Cannon: Dog poop next door stinks to high heaven
Dear Ann Cannon • Our neighbors don’t pick up their dog poop! They have two large dogs, two small children and one large yard. We like them and have mentioned the dog poop before (last year), which sparked a huge fight between the two parents. The smell is atrocious. I would like to just leave them a note. → Read More
Ask Ann Cannon: My Facebook friends are not friends right now
Dear Ann Cannon • What do you do when the list of Facebook people you want to kill becomes unmanageable? Is there a service that handles this sort of thing? → Read More
Ask Ann Cannon: I’m sick of seeing couples snuggle in church
Dear Ann Cannon • Over the last 50 years I have observed something that continues to bother me. I have never talked to my bishop or anyone else about this, but I am finally getting this off my chest. I am so tired of observing a couple sitting in front of me, probably a husband and wife, who throughout a church meeting are rubbing each other‘s head and neck and it is so distracting. I would… → Read More
Ask Ann Cannon: How much mothering do my adult children need?
Dear Ann Cannon • I am so grateful to have children who are now raised, on their own, and very independent. My problem is in knowing how much they want me in their lives. I would love to spend more time with them, chat and offer advice when asked. They do ask for help when it’s needed, but sometimes I wonder if I could be more of a presence in their lives. I don’t want to be in their face and… → Read More
Ask Ann Cannon: I’m a rock during a crisis, but afterward I fall apart
Dear Ann Cannon • Our family was recently engulfed by a full-blown crisis. Without going into detail, let me just say I was the one that everybody leaned on to manage things, from making arrangements to offering pep talks. And I did. Not to sound arrogant or anything, but I didn’t fall apart and I was able to meet the needs and requests of various family members in ways that were truly helpful. → Read More
Ask Ann Cannon: Advice for a fun-filled family vacation
Dear readers • Most of the questions for this column come to me via email, but sometimes people will ask for advice in person. Knowing that I’d just returned home from a weeklong beach vacation with extended family, a friend — who’s leaving for a family reunion this weekend — asked for tips to help make her vacation memorable. → Read More
Ask Ann Cannon: Loud neighbors are disrupting my backyard summertime bliss
Dear Ann Cannon • Now that summer has officially arrived, one of my purest pleasures is relaxing or doing yardwork in the relative quiet of my backyard. My millennial neighbor also enjoys spending time in his backyard, but turns up his outdoor sound system and plays country western music for all to hear. Country western isn’t my first musical choice and I find I can no longer enjoy the time… → Read More
Ask Ann Cannon: An employee who used to work off-site isn’t so pleasant in person
Dear Ann Cannon • I work in retail, have done so for many years. Recently one of our young employees segued from one part of the business to the on-site piece. He has been a stellar off-site employee, but in the building, he is a busybody know-it-all. And he interrupts anyone and everyone. It’s exhausting. The business relies very heavily on the relationships between customer and staff, and his… → Read More