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Bailey Merlin


Munich, Day 4
We fought hard to get out of bed this morning. Told Theresa we’d be out and about by eight but were liars until nine. Between the hard...

Bailey Merlin
Feb 16, 20233 min read
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For The Sister I Got to Pick
Having a best friend is a gift. Having a lifelong best friend is a blessing straight from the heavens. Longtime readers of this blog, and...

Bailey Merlin
Sep 16, 20223 min read
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Time’s Arrow
I used to waste a lot of paper in notebooks—like, a lot of paper. Whole book butts were left blank, half a sheet of paper used, chunks...

Bailey Merlin
Aug 18, 20222 min read
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Checklist to Live By
As I prepare for an incredibly busy September, my anxiety has been creeping up…a lot. I mean, there’s a fine line between anxiety and...

Bailey Merlin
Jul 21, 20221 min read
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The Loneliness Epidemic & Other Stories
When I moved to Boston in 2017, I wanted to be a clinical psychiatrist. After working as a therapeutic writing facilitator, I was so...

Bailey Merlin
Apr 7, 20223 min read
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A Therapeutic Retrospective
It’s been a few weeks since I ended a year-long habit of going to therapy on a regular basis. The last time I ended my session, it was...

Bailey Merlin
Feb 17, 20223 min read
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Down South, Days 5-10
Jackson Square and warm weather With your cayenne lips still burning, you drive up the interstate. Family far behind, it’s easier to be...

Bailey Merlin
Jan 22, 20225 min read
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The 2021 Wrap
Before writing my wraps, I always read the previous year’s publication. 2020 sucked, didn’t it? As some of you may feel like 2021 flew by...

Bailey Merlin
Dec 17, 20213 min read
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Montreal
La Fontaine Park on a crisp Sunday afternoon. Montreal is a very clean city. More than that, it is a very approachable city. Even though...

Bailey Merlin
Nov 19, 20214 min read
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Creative Accountability
After two straight months of no rest, I have at last arrived on the other side. All of my creative projects are still here, unfinished,...

Bailey Merlin
Nov 5, 20211 min read
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Twenty Years On
“Friendship is far more tragic than love. It lasts longer.” Oscar Wilde Twenty years is a long time. It’s time enough to live a full...

Bailey Merlin
Sep 15, 20212 min read
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Artistry and ADHD
Maintaining motivation is hard. I was recently diagnosed with ADHD, and it sort of put my whole life into perspective. The diagnosis...

Bailey Merlin
Jul 16, 20214 min read
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Poem #30
Diagnosis with the Crypt Keeper The first time I meet my psychiatrist, he asks if we’ve met before. This does not bode well. He asks...

Bailey Merlin
Jul 2, 20212 min read
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Daily Practice
Writing every day used to come easily. Once, a professor asked my class who there wrote every day. No one raised their hand but me, and...

Bailey Merlin
Jun 17, 20212 min read
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Creeping Back into the Open
Let’s get the cliché out of the way now: It’s been a long year. Like, a really long year. As someone who is very comfortable at home, man...

Bailey Merlin
May 21, 20212 min read
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The Importance of Ceremony
A lot can be said for living with your landlord. My landlords care a lot about their property, but they also care a lot about me. That...

Bailey Merlin
May 8, 20214 min read
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Burnout
I need to write something. It needs to be 500 words. It needs to be posted today. At first, I was going to post a poem because I have...

Bailey Merlin
Mar 4, 20214 min read
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The 2020 Wrap
For my grandmother: Lillian Patricia Lemon Stephens Last year I ended things by asking 2020 to be gentler with all of us. I read that...

Bailey Merlin
Jan 1, 20213 min read
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An Elegy
Pat, Bailey, Wes. I am obviously the tallest person in my family. I’ve resolved to be more prolific, like the old days when writing every...

Bailey Merlin
Dec 3, 20203 min read
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39 Things-To-Do During a Global Pandemic
Make a list of all of the things you want to accomplish during the COVID-19 quarantine. Get immediately stressed out by the list. Throw...

Bailey Merlin
Apr 26, 20202 min read
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