Community Health might be able to get you started, therapists are at a shortage right now.

That is a fair critique. I disagree, obviously, but I do understand your point of view.

Don't you put that fucking curse out into the universe

That self-awareness gets me quite often.

IMO, it would all depend on the specific practitioner. Could be a fun thing almost like dancing lessons.

If I were to get into a relationship I’d probably want to have a some kind of sounding board that isn’t this place to give me reality checks or maybe just a personal trainer..

Joyce Sullivan. She's in Brattleboro but she does sessions via Zoom

I think you are incredibly unfortunate. Your take will leave you with a good enough relationship your whole life and you will never get that feeling that the person you go to bed next to at night is the right person for you. There will always be a seed of doubt.

With that said I never said relationships are not a lot of work. I said if you need a third party to mediate the chances are the core differences between you and your partner will always be there. They may be simple things like how affection is expressed or received. They may be things like pet peeves that lead to resentment or they maybe big things like lingering issues of past abuse or negligence.

The need for a marriage counselor points out to a lack of ability to communicate on a basic level. The lack of one person or both to be able to express their concerns and be heard by the other.

Again, do you want to go through life with good enough? There are billions of people out there in the world. Don’t you think there is one who can hear you without needing a mediator.

Hygiene.

Wash everything. Sanitize everything. No phones in the bathroom. The problem with noro is, yeah it clears up in 48, but there's no immunity so if you get a tiny bit of yesterday's poo in your mouth, oops! Restart the clock.

This is also why households with tiny children have it real bad right now. I'm sorry.

Vermont provides some really good family opportunities regardless gay or straight. Vermont is an overwhelmingly accepting place, but be aware that like any other place there are the haters - but you'll get community support to overcome them.

The school superintendent is big into trans rights and supporting trans kids. It is kind of awesome, actually.

Agreed - lifelong Vermonter here. You’re looking for western MA, OP

Winooski school staff are actually excellent, Essex westford is also fantastic! As others have pointed out, the heavy numbers of new Americans skew the winooski stats but both areas have extremely good schools.

Coming from FL, you would probably feel most comfortable in chittenden county or one of VT’s more “metro” areas. You will find more inclusive attitudes and overt value of diversity, and it is just a very different vibe than the pure country farmland of our beautiful neighboring areas. I know multiple chittenden county transplants from Florida that love it!

The Northeast Kingdom is the three counties of Caledonia, Orleans, and Essex in Northeast Vermont. It’s rural, it’s rough around the edges, and it has lots of natural beauty.

Thanks for your insight. Where is NEK?

Totally get why you'd want to get out of Florida. Plus, there is a certain amount of stress that comes with living in a place where everything seems to be telling you that you aren't welcome and you may not realize how much it is weighing you down until it is removed. Essex County went red in 2016 and 2020, so that may not be the ideal location in your case, but the rest of the counties in Vermont will probably be varying degrees of accepting. Vermont rural is not Florida rural. (And Vermont crime is not Florida crime.) Cost of living is high in general, but where you live really affects affordability. NEK is cheap, Burlington is expensive, Stowe is where the millionaires play.

Winter is fine if you are prepared for it (dress for the cold so it doesn't feel like winter when you go outside) and make friends with it (don't spend all winter hiding in your house). I'd actually be more concerned if I were you about how much you need to have access to a large variety of commerce, restaurants, clubs, non-nature-based entertainment etc.. If you need that, you will not be happy in Vermont. If you think, like I do, that a fulfilling day is wandering around and staring at trees and rocks and water, you'll be in paradise on earth.

Also, look at Massachusetts, if you can afford it. It's got a fantastic record and is a lot more busy if that is what you like.

thank you for your comment, i was thinking abt committing to st. mikes but wasn't sure about their policy on gendered housing. i think colleges in general could use more transparency with stuff like this.

[deleted]

I've gotta be honest, your take seems incredibly naive. I don't think you find true love at all. I think true deep meaningful love is built and earned and communicated. Two people have to endeavor together to create it. Sometimes a therapist can help someone who never learned how to do that, especially if they never got to see a healthy working relationship in their life.

The moose are particularly vicious to gay couples up here.

I would bet that it will be cloudy here. I'm gonna go further south for this. An eclipse is one of the most mind altering experiences you can have without drugs, so I'm not missing this.

I know you said Chittenden County but if you are ever on I89 going east, 4 Aces in West Lebanon NH is great. Coffee is meh but the food is so good.

I always reccomend st. Johnsbury, stowe, or any collage town, really. I know that montpelier has good schools and are really liberal, but it is the capitol and it can be expensive, but its central and cheaper then burlington.

[deleted]

I'm a big 2A supporter. I just don't want to be near other people's firearms lol.

Yes, actually! Its so bad we call them 'scary Barre and rut-vegas' because of the drugs and crime, and burlington is lakeside real estate, so yeah, expensive.

And 802 is just the state area code. Im just born and raised here is all.