From the Editor

Illustration: Rigby Guerrerro· The Sentry

An open love letter,

To you, Phoebe Waller Bridge.

Because this is a love story, between myself and I, curated by you.

You don’t have to be alone to be lonely, but you showed me that I can reach for solace and companionship if I make the effort.

I’ve been a stranger to grief and loss, but you showed me how I can heal. To look at myself, to speak aloud my fears and make them real, so I know they’re valid.

Because I’m not a shell of a person looking at my world from the outside. Everyone feels like this and I’m not doing it wrong. No one has it all figured out.

You reminded me I can be provocative and awkward and selfish, but to an extent.

But not my independence, intelligence, and wittiness. I like how you can keep up.

Loss, sex, and regret were injected into your characters’ lives and diffused with laughter so you could tell people that this is life. Not patronizing people for being people.

You looked at love as something that can be built up and broken again. Showing its flaws and delicate intricacies that mold you into something stronger.

So you can say that people come and go because they were part of the journey and not the destination.

Fear, risk, and confidence were worn on your sleeves when you picked yourself up and everything started to look sunny and warm again.

Buck up. Smile. Charm. Off we go. Because it does no good to dwell on the past but rather to keep moving and smile through the mistakes. Like you, I’m learning.

Learning that every family is dysfunctional and has their ups and downs.

Learning that there are layers to every person’s story and some people are not as bad as they seem. Give them a second chance.

I gave you, Phoebe Waller Bride, a second chance, actually five chances. I watched Fleabag in its entirety five times every time I needed to learn one of these lessons above.

And every time the ending credits rolled on my screen, I told myself, with all the love I have for her. I don’t know where to put it now.

So, I’ll put it in this open love letter,

To you, Phoebe Waller Bridge.