My name is Danny O’Neil, and I’ve lifelong habit of meticulously record-keeping when it comes to my mental catalog of all the people and/or institutions that I feel have wronged me at one point or another.

While I wouldn’t say that I’m proud of this tendency, I wasn’t entirely embarrassed, either. I joked it was proof that I was ugly on the inside.

However, beginning in 2019, my tendency to harbor resentment started to increasingly dictate my moods.

These grudges, which I had considered to be the result of a little personality quirk, became something of a problem. One in particular: the anger I’d harbored toward my stepfather for nearly 20 years.

This (free!) newsletter is not the result of a years-long process of untangling that particularly knotty relationship. It is more like a biproduct of it, and each week, I’m going to write about something related to the unresolved emotional issues that are fairly common.

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Begrudgingly yours,

Danny O’Neil

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I am a veteran journalist, an accidental radio host and a bona fide expert in grudges who recently experienced the blissful relief that comes from letting go. Read more at my newsletter, grudgery.com.