I Live with Terrible Guilt
08:40 Share

When Skechers says they've revolutionized how you put on and take off your shoes, they aren't kidding. I just got my first pair of hands-free Skechers slip-ins, and I want them in every color. You literally just step into your Skechers slip-ins, and they're on. No bending, no struggling. They're fantabulous. I came up with that word.

Feet gently slide in thanks to an invisible built-in shoe horn. A heel pillow feature keeps your foot secure. Slip-ins come in athletic and casual styles for men, women, and kids. They even have sandals with special features and fits like Skechers air-cooled memory foam, arch fit, relaxed fit, wide fit. Once your feet have experienced hands-free Skechers slip-ins, they won't want to wear any other shoe. They certainly exceeded my expectations.

You can find Skechers at Skechers.com slash Dr. Laura or Skechers.com. Use the promo code Dr. Laura. Valid for 20% off site-wide. Standard exclusions apply. Valid March 5th through May 30th, 2025. Thanks for listening to my Call of the Day podcast. You can hear my live radio program Monday through Friday from 2 to 5 p.m. Eastern Time on Sirius XM Triumph 111. Vicki, welcome to the program.

Thank you, Laura, for the opportunity to talk with you. I appreciate it. Welcome. How can I help? Well, I was listening to your program on Friday and heard an interesting call, and it resonated with me. I'm 65 years old.

I have never been married. When I was young in high school, I was basically molested by a teacher and

I reported it and then later went back and told the principals that I had lied about it. And to this day, I don't know why I did that. But then fast forward, went away to college, graduated college, came back to my hometown, reconnected with this individual, had an affair that lasted forever.

Probably four or five years. He was married. And eventually I decided that the best thing for me to do was move. So I moved across country and, you know, never talked to him since. But the point is, is that I've never been able to really establish healthy, intimate relationships with men before.

through my entire life. And I know at this point, as I've heard you speak, that probably will never happen. But I would like to have some clarity as to, you know, how I can truly put this event past me and not have it in my mind. Can't do that. Sorry. It'll always be in your mind.

Because you made it an important part of your life when you had a relationship with him while he was married. So you made it a significant part of your life. You're not going to be able to erase that. True. True. At Amica Insurance, we know it's more than just a house. It's your home. The place that's filled with memories. The early days of figuring it out to the later years of still figuring it out.

For the place you've put down roots, trust Amica Home Insurance. Amica. Empathy is our best policy. Spring is in full bloom at the Home Depot. So what are you working on? If you're digging into your garden, come into the Home Depot's Garden Center, where we can help you pick out the best plants for your space. Then make sure you give your plants the proper soil and support they need to thrive. Like Miracle-Gro 25-quart potting mix on special buy two bags for only $15.

It's formulated to help your plants grow and keep them fed for up to six months. Shop spring savings happening now at The Home Depot.

Are you still quoting 30-year-old movies? Have you said cool beans in the past 90 days? Do you think Discover isn't widely accepted? If this sounds like you, you're stuck in the past. Discover is accepted at 99% of places that take credit cards nationwide. And every time you make a purchase with your card, you automatically earn cash back. Welcome to the now. It pays to discover. Learn more at discover.com slash credit card based on the February 2024 Nelson Report.

Uh-oh. The last cookie. You can get a new box of cookies in as fast as an hour with Walmart Express Delivery. Are you my guilty self-conscious? No, I'm the voice offering you promo code EXPRESS for free delivery on your first order. Hey! Who ate my cookies? You mean these cookies? Order now. Welcome to your Walmart. Promotion valid for first express delivery order. $50 minimum subject to availability. Restrictions apply. I guess...

I mean, I've listened to you enough to know that, you know, you just move on. I mean, you just leave the past in the past and you moved on. I guess the other issue for me is I feel...

horribly guilty for what I did. And, you know, I never, I didn't, I didn't actually destroy his family because they never knew, but at the same time I knew and, you know, living with that is, has been somewhat challenging. And I was hoping that maybe you might be able to, you know, shed some light and,

Give me your feedback because it's always so good and valuable. And just to share your thoughts with me. Only good people feel guilt. That's the oddest damn thing. Crappy people have no guilt. So, frankly, I establish now that you're basically a good person. You did something very wrong. But you took control in a situation that you didn't have control of before.

when you were younger, and now you had power and control. And that was your solution to the first part of the story with him. And then after a while, you realized this is meaningless, and you went out of it. Now, I don't know, you were a teacher. Did you ever punish a kid for progress? No. Well, then. No. Let's keep that philosophy going. We can't punish you. You're making progress.

We can't change the past, but when we see what you've done since then, you stopped it, you moved away to help control yourself, and you have remorse. Time to go on to the next phase of your life. You should not, as you didn't when you were a teacher, you never punished when a student made progress. Do the same to yourself. That's great advice. That's great advice.

Is it just a mental thing for me to do that? Is it like a switch that you mentally turn off? It's like if I put one thing on a table and I move it over so I can put something else in that spot, that's what you do. So when it comes to mind, you push it over and you say, that was then, this is now.

I would never do it now. I have changed and I've become a much better human being. And so now I'm going to think about the fact that I've made a lot of progress in my life. So maybe now I can risk going to a dance, a singles dance of people my age, a ski club, a bicycle club, pickleball club. That's what you do.

I see. Okay. So part of this is making myself be accessible socially, which I have not done. So that's good advice as well. You've got to stop being in a cave. You're not evil. Come on. Well, thank you for that. No, I don't see myself that way. No, you're not that way. Well, I believe that I would be interested in...

If I thought you were that way, I would have told you and we probably wouldn't be talking anymore. So give it a rest. Stop beating yourself up. You would have bombed your gavel? That's it. Wait. I had a thought and now it went away. Oh, I know. So this is the second part of this, if I may ask you. I also think that sometimes our stories are,

you know, the events that have happened in our lives can also be instruments to be used to help other people with the same kind of situations that they're going through. No, no, don't start that nonsense. No, no. Okay. No, no. Just get on and make your life prettier. I can do that. That's it. I can do that. Yeah. Well, thank you. I appreciate that.

Excellent. Very much. Very much. Excellent. Good, sweetie. It's something I thought about calling. I am going to do just that. It's something I thought about calling you a long time ago and I didn't. And then I heard that call on Friday and I said, you know, I'm going to respond with my situation and see what Dr. Laura thinks. So I appreciate it. Thank you so much. I'm glad you did. Take care.

My number, 1-800-375-2872. If you like this podcast, be sure to rate it on Apple Podcasts or your favorite place to listen to my podcast. Of course, I'd love if you gave me five stars. And be sure to share this podcast with a friend on Facebook or your preferred social media platform. A Roman lies in my way.

Angel Soft, Angel Soft, soft and strong, so it's simple. Pick up a pack today. Angel Soft, soft and strong, so it's simple.