Hey there, time traveller!
This article was published 17/02/2026 (248 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

DEAR MISS LONELYHEARTS: I noticed a small truck kept driving around my block just after the holidays The driver looked kind of familiar, but she was wearing a big woolly hat. I finally watched to see where she went.

The truck stopped at the end of my street, then this really tall red-haired woman jumped out, and I knew who she was. In fact, I knew her 100 per cent, top to bottom.

We were crazy teenagers together and had our first sexual relationship with each other. I wanted to run over there and hug her, but instead I phoned some people we both knew and found out she’s single and back in town for a new job.

Do you think she knew she bought a house close to me? Did she possibly do it on purpose? Now what can I do without looking like an idiot?

— Old Love, St. Vital

Dear Old Love: Chat to some more your old friends who might still know her and get her contact info. Then get in touch and ask if she would like to meet for coffee, as you’re living so close by. (That may not be any surprise to her.)

She may not have expected you would still like to see her all this time later. But who knows, maybe things could rekindle? It might just be a coffee and a chat, and you may just end up friends again.

Either way, she’s lighting up your neighbourhood for 2026.

Dear Miss Lonelyhearts: I took a year off from years of failed relationships with supposedly nice people to find out if I was actually the real problem.

As it turns out, after a bit of reflection, I do believe it was me who was the problem. Because I’m Mr. Picky. I don’t like a lot of things about men and women I meet, and I find fault easily, even with the nicest in the bunch.

I particularly don’t like the way humans think — the self-interest, the deception — but it’s just the opposite with animals. So now I’m pondering whether I really need intimate long-lasting relationships with humans. Maybe I just need to work with them to earn money to get by.

I’m thinking now about maybe living on my own just outside of the city with my family of different pets who get along well together. What do you think? Does this make me a weirdo?

— Animal Lover, Charleswood

Dear Animal Lover: No, it doesn’t make you a weirdo, but it does make you an honest human being.

Doing what you really love and being happy and fulfilled will naturally attract other people who share a similar world view. So, experiment with your idea and see what happens.

In terms of building a social life with other humans, get involved with animal-rights activists and you may find the kind of people you really understand and respect.

You might find romantic love, even if you don’t go looking for it. Then the trick is to just fall into it and let it unfold slowly and naturally.

Please send your questions and comments to lovecoach@hotmail.com or Miss Lonelyhearts c/o the Winnipeg Free Press, 1355 Mountain Ave., Winnipeg, MB, R2X 3B6.

Maureen Scurfield
Advice columnist

Maureen Scurfield writes the Miss Lonelyhearts advice column.

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