21 Comments
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Allison Deraney's avatar

OH HOW I’VE MISSED YOU!

Take the baths but please keep coming back here to write it all out. I need your raw honesty and wit.

Nearly spit out my coffee at - “my dad likes Red Lobster.” 🤣🤣😆

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Julie Fontes's avatar

Thank you always. I kind of feel like I never want to take a break again. I’ve realized how much more of myself I get back when I put these things out into the world. It’s really just like exercise. You resist up until the last minute and then wonder why you were acting like such a ninny about the whole thing.

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Allison Deraney's avatar

I know exactly what you mean. The pulling ourselves out when we write, hit post and say, “for better or worse, here’s me at the moment”

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em's avatar

Ate this up! Happy to be reading your words again

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Julie Fontes's avatar

Thanks for reading! I feel like I haven’t seen you in forever!

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Dr. Dana Leigh Lyons, DTCM's avatar

I think this might be my favorite time I’ve been quoted on the internet, Julie. 💩❤️

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Melina Perez's avatar

I too fear the group of polo shirts wearers.

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Julie Fontes's avatar

You see them and it’s instant dread, right??😂

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Yoda Olinyk's avatar

One of my favourite essays in a while <3 thanks for your vulnerability!

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Julie Fontes's avatar

Thank you for saying so, Yoda! I’m trying not to need the validation, but I sure do appreciate it when it’s given to me🙏

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Jam0nster's avatar

To be fair...polo shirts is completely legit imo

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Julie Fontes's avatar

Probably the most high key low key valid point of the whole essay

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Ashley Walker's avatar

I think you’re great, and relate enormously!

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Deanna LeSueur's avatar

This.....haha just awesome. Thanks for writing!

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Carla Gatlin's avatar

So, loved the newsletter but love the picture more! We must have one please!

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Rosemary Writes & Recovers 🌹's avatar

Welcome Baaack! I too having a growing dislike of my fellow humans-and honestly, of myself, too. Or at least a growing realization that we are medium people. I genuinely used to believe that not only was I a good person, but that most other people were too. Now, I am much more cynical about both my own inherent goodness and that of others. Maybe it is not so much a cynicism as just an acceptance of reality. Sobriety has not helped with that, in fact, the more sober I get, the less I like people-even people I love. I resonate with sobriety raising more questions than not and fearing groups of men in polo shirts. Totally valid, not racist, IMO. Though I am afraid of all groups of men and often solo ones too. There is a reason we chose the bear. And F those people who say that baths are not real self-care. Long soaks in my tub -especially with rose scented epsom salts-are the only kind of spa hour I can afford. So glad you have your place back and we have your thoughts and words back.

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Julie Fontes's avatar

I am going to send California into a drought with the amount of baths I’m taking. I was talking to a friend about the badness in people, and she thinks it’s literal demons. I’ve always been less spiritual about the whole thing—being an atheist, but…I don’t know, maybe we’ve all got little demons swimming around in our psyches. Maybe some of us are infested with them. Who is to say? There’s a freedom in realizing you are merely a medium person. I think when we realize we are medium, it allows us to give other people grace about their own mediumness. At least that’s my thought at this moment, here, before 8 am and before I’ve had to come into contact with any other humans. Ask me again how I feel at 9 pm after an evening of service.

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Jeanie Hays's avatar

Oh, brave girl, I’m still in.

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Mark Hayes's avatar

An absolutely reasonable phobia.

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Maria Mosca (She/Her)'s avatar

If I am here by mistake, it is my favorite mistake I've made in a while. Thank you so much for writing and sharing yourself. I love to read your words.

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Julie Fontes's avatar

I love this! Thank you so much for saying so.

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