DEAR HARRIETTE: I have been spending time with some new friends who are kind and generous. Whenever we go out, they pay for meals, which is nice because we are not rich and they are. They never make us feel any kind of way about it, either. What we do to show our appreciation is different. We will cook delicious meals and specialty dishes to share with them. We sometimes bring over unusual desserts that we cook or that we discovered in our travels. It feels like a comfortable relationship even though we aren’t on the same income level.

I just wonder if they will tire of us because we can’t spend the kind of money on things that they do. So far, it has been OK, but it does feel a bit awkward to be unable to afford some of the things that we do. Should I say something? -- Awkward

DEAR AWKWARD: Stop fretting. It sounds like you and your friends have established a natural, comfortable rhythm. Enjoy it in the moment. Who knows what tomorrow will bring? It’s nice when people who are different from each other, especially economically, can create a genuine friendship. Being able to spend time together where it is comfortable for everyone is lovely. Stop worrying about what may happen sometime in the future.

Honestly, relationships grow based on the ways people tend to each other. As long as you all are kind, respectful and honest about who you are and what you bring to the table, you should be fine. If the day comes when they ask you to do something you cannot afford, tell the truth and trust that they will understand.

DEAR HARRIETTE: I tried sending a somewhat provocative photo to a guy I like, but I was in a place with bad reception, and my phone says the picture never went through. That made me sad after I had drummed up the courage to share this picture of me and then he didn’t get it. Anyway, I tried again to send it, but it didn’t go through. I heard from him later, and he thanked me for sending the photo but told me that he had received it about three times. I was mortified. I know it’s a technological thing, but I don’t want this guy to think I am a stalker. I was just trying to stir up a bit of interest. I’m not sure if I turned him off or not. What can I do now? -- Bad Click

DEAR BAD CLICK: If at all possible, wait to talk about this in person rather than sending more texts. Either way, tell him you are glad he liked the shot and that you are sorry that technology wasn’t your friend. Tell him that you were in a location with bad Wi-Fi. In an effort to ensure that he received the photo, you attempted to send it more than once, until your phone indicated that it had been delivered. Apologize for blowing up his phone. That was not your intention! Leave it at that.

(Harriette Cole is a lifestylist and founder of DREAMLEAPERS, an initiative to help people access and activate their dreams. You can send questions to askharriette@harriettecole.com or c/o Andrews McMeel Syndication, 1130 Walnut St., Kansas City, MO 64106.)

DEAR HARRIETTE: I spent time with some good friends I hadn’t hung out with in years. Over the course of the weekend, we had some pretty serious conversations that were healing, in a way. We were able to talk about some things that had been on our chest, so to speak, but never resolved. Even now, I’m not sure we resolved anything, but we did clear the air, and it feels like our friendship got tighter.

As they were leaving, though, I did begin to worry a bit about whether they would keep our conversations confidential. We were really vulnerable and open when we talked. Do you think I need to say anything to reinforce our privacy? -- Hush

DEAR HUSH: What you can do without offending anyone is to reach out to your friends and express your gratitude for the quality time that you just spent together. Acknowledge how important it felt to you to be able to speak so openly about topics that had been buried for so long. Share that you appreciate the safe space that you all created together that allowed for you to go deep with each other. To be able to be so vulnerable only comes with a level of trust. Thank them for trusting you as you trusted them to be able to share that special time together. Add that you appreciate knowing that what you discussed will remain safe in their care and that none of you will share the intimacies of each other’s lives with others.

DEAR HARRIETTE: I was doing some research on my family tree the other day and saw an article that says that my father was married previously. Nobody ever told me that. I saw photos of him and a woman I do not know in wedding clothing at a church. It definitely was a wedding photo. My father is now in his 80s, but he is of sound mind. My mother passed away last year. I know they were really close. Do I bring this up to my dad? I don’t want to upset him, but I realize there is a big part of our family story that I do not know. -- First Marriage

DEAR FIRST MARRIAGE: You can broach this topic carefully. Frame it with the facts: You were doing some research on your family and stumbled upon some surprising information that you want to run by him. Get his blessing to open this door before you do. Make sure your father is in a positive state of mind and not distracted by anything else when you bring this up to him.

Then, if possible, show him the wedding picture. Tell him you were surprised to see it because you did not know he was married previously. Ask him to tell you about his first wife and that part of his life. Do not push, though. He may decide to reveal something about this time in his life, or he may choose to keep that door closed. Let him make the decision.

(Harriette Cole is a lifestylist and founder of DREAMLEAPERS, an initiative to help people access and activate their dreams. You can send questions to askharriette@harriettecole.com or c/o Andrews McMeel Syndication, 1130 Walnut St., Kansas City, MO 64106.)

DEAR HARRIETTE: My best friend and I ended up becoming roommates earlier this year. I was worried about living with her because I did not want to put a strain on our friendship by adding the roommate dynamic, but we haven’t had many issues at all.

I do not have many close friends outside of her, so I don’t have too many guests over. My friend has plenty of guests, and I don’t mind very much. Recently, she had a group of people over for a game night in our living room. She didn’t bother to tell me about it or ask if I might want to participate. I walked out of my bedroom to a table full of guests, and nobody so much as pulled up a chair for me. I really do not want to cause issues with my friend, but my feelings are still hurt. How do I address this? -- Excluded

DEAR EXCLUDED: Question: Does your roommate typically invite you to participate in other activities with her and her guests? If so, then this is unusual. If not, it sounds like what may have bothered you the most is not knowing there would be a houseful of guests who were focused on each other to the exclusion of you.

It is understandable that you would like to be included in their fun, and it is also understandable that they wouldn’t necessarily think of that if the activity they were enjoying had never involved you in the past.

You and your roommate need to revisit boundaries around guests and socializing. You may also just want to sit with her and let her know you felt left out that time. If she is your best friend, she knows you are somewhat reclusive. When events are happening inside your home, let her know that, at the very least, you would like to be invited to participate.

DEAR HARRIETTE: My 20-year-old son is somewhat introverted, so he spends a lot of time by himself. He recently got a job where he works from home on the computer, which only adds to his isolation. I noticed the other day that he was looking at porn on his computer. He’s a young adult. I’m not trying to control what he watches, but I’m pretty sure his computer is owned by his company. I think he would get in trouble if they caught him watching pornography on there. How can I address this without embarrassing him? -- No Porn at Work

DEAR NO PORN AT WORK: The virtual workplace has brought with it many side effects, including how office equipment is used. You are right to worry about your son watching pornography on his work computer. Depending upon company policy, he could lose his job.

While this may be momentarily embarrassing to address, you must tell him. Just be direct. Tell him you noticed that he had looked at porn on this device. Warn him that this could be a violation of his employer's policies. Recommend that he only use his own personal device for that purpose. Encourage him to delete his cache and history and do his best to clean up his computer.

(Harriette Cole is a lifestylist and founder of DREAMLEAPERS, an initiative to help people access and activate their dreams. You can send questions to askharriette@harriettecole.com or c/o Andrews McMeel Syndication, 1130 Walnut St., Kansas City, MO 64106.)