On being asked what she has done since stopping writing Dear Sugar for The Rumpus, Sugar replies that she took the advice column to podcast form, with Steve Almond in Dear Sugars and solo in Sugar Calling. She also currently writes the column on her Substack.

On being asked whether she feels burdened by hearing so many of people’s problems, Sugar replies that “doing lifts the burden” of being a bystander to trouble and makes her feel better (354).

Spent, a 48-year-old nurse, writes in feeling exhausted and defeated from dealing with her job, perimenopause, and homeschooling during the pandemic. She wants encouragement from Sugar for the days when she feels overwhelmed by the demands put on her.

Sugar attests that she has also been feeling the stress of menopause, full-time work, and having kids in remote learning during the pandemic. She goes as far as saying that this is her worst year since her mother died. Not knowing what else would work, Sugar, a nonbeliever, attended a Zoom session of prayers at a Unitarian church. She submitted a prayer for a struggling friend, week after week, and broke down in tears. She urges Spent to try to find something beautiful in this scenario that neither of them can comprehend in order to have the strength to keep going.