When I first asked for guest posters, Jules asked me, “Is there a screening process?” Of course, in that very second, she passed with an A+. Actually, she had me at this post. Party girl extraordinaire, Hallmark store legend, protector-of-little-old-ladies everywhere — I present to you: Jules!

When I lived out east, my old Acura needed serious repair work, and luckily the dealership gave me one of their sweet rides as a free loaner for the weekend. They could have done this because they knew I had no other way to get to my weekend job, which required a jaunt by car on New Jersey’s Garden State Parkway (unlike the 2 graphic design jobs I got to by subway in Manhattan during the week), but I’m pretty sure they did it because I made them uncomfortable with all of my pathetic tear-induced hyperventilating over the estimated cost of repairs and wondering how I’d also manage to pay my rent, even with 3 jobs.

I actually had to breathe into a paper bag because the hyperventilating wouldn’t stop, which made me cry harder because I was embarrassed, and the cycle continued. In that moment I thought, “Gasping for air into a paper bag in the service center of a car dealership? This is no way to live. Must. Breathe.”

As soon as I calmed down, they pulled around a brand new Acura Integra and handed me the keys. In that moment, I reminded myself that life is short and it was time to cheer myself up by doing something unexpected. There’s no better way to cheer yourself up than by doing something unexpected while in possession of a hot car that somebody else owns.

After finding someone to cover my Saturday shift, I got up early for a 2-hour road trip from my apartment to Point Pleasant, NJ. I’d never seen such a foggy day “on the shore”, and it felt like walking around on the set of a Hitchcock film.

Even though I decided to lose one day of pay (money that I really needed to make ends meet in those days), I will always think back to that morning on Point Pleasant Beach as one of the best decisions I ever made. It was exactly what I needed. Don’t eke out your existence with the assumption that you can put a dollar value on recharging your soul. Get out there. Live so you can breathe.

This was one of the first images in my ongoing “Sit!” series. ©HouseofJules Photography

I was drawn to the contrast between the muted colors of the shower heads/sky and the dark, saturated sand. ©HouseofJules Photography

Detail shot. If you hold this photo up to your ear, you can hear the ocean. ©HouseofJules Photography

This was my last shot of the day. I noticed these 2 teenagers walking the beach together earlier, and as I was getting ready to snap the photo of the 2 showers with the fogged-out pier in the background, they sort of unknowingly ambled into my frame. I have no idea what they were looking at but they stood like that just long enough for me to get the shot. I know it looks like they’re superimposed, but I have the negative to prove that they’re not. Yes, a negative. As in film. Remember film? ©HouseofJules Photography

—- Isn’t this a timely reminder right now? Breathe. Live. Enjoy. —-

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