Now tamer, should she connect with old beau?

DEAR AMY: Over a year ago, I broke up with my boyfriend. We had been together 18 months. We started dating shortly after I graduated college. I was overwhelmed by entering the workforce, shocked by the transition away from friends and living in my parents' basement. He was finishing his senior year in college more than 200 miles away. We were each others' first long-term relationship and we were a great couple. We tried to make things work, but the distance between us, insecurity, jealousy and eventually deceit came between us. After our breakup, things turned ugly and painful. He was hurt by my words and actions. He decided to take a job overseas on a two-year contract, and he has been away for almost a year. I had a wild streak, dated many people and threw caution to the wind. Now I am more stable. My feelings toward him continue to grow stronger and my intentions are more genuine. I'd like to reach out and contact him via email but am unsure of how to start the conversation. I'd like to mend this relationship. Is this possible?Unsure

DEAR UNSURE: Any relationship is worth mending. You should contact your ex, apologize for your actions and ask him for forgiveness.

Don't swing for the fences. Tell him you've grown up a lot and that you have many regrets for how things ended between you. Tell him what you're doing and how you're doing, and ask him a couple of questions, which you can hope he will answer by clicking "reply."

DEAR AMY: "Upset Husband" wrote to you, upset because his wife talked to a guy at a bar and let the husband sit there on his bar stool without introducing them. A spouse should introduce the other out of respect and just good manners. It matters not if the stranger is a man or a woman. Respect is what's called for, and the wife didn't give it to her husband.