Howdy, I’m Jaclynn.
Welcome to my adventurous, fun and daily writing space!
I write from the inside of an experience and name what’s happening in a way other people recognize themselves.
As a passionate mental health counselor, I’m here to share helpful and healthy tidbits.
I’m a recent Georgia transplant but lifelong Washington state native, a master-level organizer, a proud mom to 6-year-old Evelyn, an intermittent faster, and a fervent B-1 Spanish learner.
Music is a big part of my world, so you’ll find lyrics, band names, and song titles sprinkled throughout my posts. They’re little breadcrumbs from my heart to yours.
I hope this space brings you laughter, inspiration, and the occasional “aha” moment. Whether you’re here for a quick read or a deep dive, I’m grateful for your time and company.
Oh, and I’m 44 now—so whether this blog’s title still feels relevant is entirely up to you.
Thank you for being here. Love, me
New posts in your inbox
Now, onto the blog!
Chasing Conversation
I’m reinvigorated in my Spanish-learning journey. Seeking everyday conversation, I initially browsed for MasterChef and reality shows, but after spending some time on a site out of Spain, several documentaries and comedies stood out. So…
Read on!
Waiting On A Grocery list
I have had ten thoughts about what to write. Part of me feels raw. Another feels silly. And another is just going through the motions. Each perspective presents a completely different tale. The silly part…
Read on!
A Tickle and A Flickle
Slithering snakes and pesky bugs were the red flags thrown our way when we moved to the South. This morning, coffee in hand, I propped my hands behind my head, elbows pointed toward the sky…
Read on!
Plant Dreaming
The sounds around me are loud. It’s night now, and the storms have brought out all the insects. Wondering how to communicate just how loud, I pulled up a decibel-reading website. At the peak of…
Read on!
How Things Come Together
In the Bog of Eternal Stench, the characters in the Labyrinth are unable to cross the bubbling pit of foul-smelling liquid. At a crossroads, Sir Didymus, Ambrosius, Hoggle, and Sarah throw their hands in the…
Read on!
Campers in the Outfield
Kevin, the mascot at the Macon baseball game, could use a costume upgrade. His nose is a white skyscraper jutting out from the brown of a scab. His eyes are a little too cartoonish, the…
Read on!
The Truest Me
Self-care, self-care, self-care. In my profession’s sphere, the phrase is practically a religion. What do you do for self-care? What is your self-care routine? You’re not doing enough self-care! People range from barely understanding what…
Read on!
Clocking Out
Holy shamoley, work, work, work is all I did today. My brain is a pile of mush. So Dave’s got it covered, and put on a Rick Gervais stand-up show, and away we’ll go. I’d…
Read on!
Welcome to Jurassic Park
I work with high-functioning people. In their jobs, homes, and communities, they excel. And still, they get depressed, triggered, and lose hours to mental illness. My role as a counselor is partly that of a…
Read on!
Tiny Harvest, Loud Mind
Today’s garden harvest fit in the palm of my hand: three plump burgundy raspberries and five cherry tomatoes ranging from orange to deep red. Eight items total. I’ve set them beside me, though one tomato…
Read on!
The Church of Puppetry
I don’t do church, and yet spiritual experiences find me in odd places. Like in a theatre at the Center for Puppetry Arts. The venue had mildly disappointed me at first. Browsing the Labyrinth section,…
Read on!
Soft in the South
How do you feel about cold weather? It makes me mad. Moving to the South has made me soft. Where once I trudged through the snow barefoot and uphill both ways, I now refuse. I…
Read on!
The Best Type of Full
I’m attracted to risk. Not the 90’s board game where you attempt world domination, but the daring kind. The step-off-the-edge, free-fall, stomach-dropping kind. Especially in relationships. But equally important is being caught afterward — the…
Read on!
But Are You Sure?
There’s something almost cruel about being a writer and still reaching for the word interesting. It’s the beige throw pillow of language. A placeholder. A shrug in vocabulary form. A thousand sharper words are waiting…
Read on!
The Things We Can’t Force
I have an ice pack under my left butt cheek. I’m “bummed” about it. Running is a bugger of a sport, and strains and pains come with the territory. I’m fine with today and tomorrow…
Read on!
The Call of the Strawberries
It’s the strawberries’ call I heed today. Their mid-production need is feeding. After a handful of downpours, the once supple, rich, airy soil is hard, like rock. Even with my hand shovel working to loosen…
Read on!
Resting to the Beat
Sunday is a day of rest, they say. And that, my friends, is today. So let us rest! I’ll be back tomorrow. Love, Jaclynn PS If you could, pick your favorite bat and tell me…
Read on!
Falling For Ruby
Neener neener boo boo, I went 1,100 feet underground today. And you didn’t. Oh, and I also petted alpacas with bouffant tufts of hair, so there’s that too. It’s day three and the final stop…
Read on!
A Mammoth Cave of a Day
Reaching 20,000-plus steps in a day is usually reserved for Disney-goers. The feat is rarely something I accomplish, even with 5K runs and heavy yard-work days. Today, however, I’m five steps away from the mark,…
Read on!
Destination: Horse Cave KOA
I love the landscape here. From the brick-stacked rock formations rubbing shoulders with the fog line to the massive, subtly rippling waves of green lushness. Whenever I cross a state line, I’m pulled to learn…
Read on!
Paranoia’s Knock at the Door
\With only the lamp on my office desk turned on, I looked at my reflection in the virtual waiting room where I hold counseling sessions and thought, “This isn’t Delilah Radio Hour, with soft sounds…
Read on!
The Magic of Discipline
In the Runners Loving Runners Facebook group, a member asked, “How do I stay motivated to go out and run?” The answers—most of them anyway—treated the word motivation like a dirty one. Discipline, instead, was…
Read on!
To Text or Not To Text
I had a client announce, “I’m now a person who’s on time.” And I’m not the first person they’d told. They’d shown up at a work meeting and a social event announcing, like it was…
Read on!
For the Love of Relationships
As I wait for the bagel dough to rise, I should use this time efficiently—especially since inspiration is knocking at the door. Let’s get into it. Relationships can thrive or survive. Clients come telling tales…
Read on!
Peaceful Easy Feeling
To save Dave and me from insanity when “I’m hungry” hits right before bedtime, I made a rule: the kitchen’s closed. I do no prep or cleanup and Evelyn has to fend for herself. If…
Read on!
Learning the Land
I borderline far too serious and not. On one hand, I think myself quite funny, a Mr. Bean eyebrow-raising persona saying, “Will you get a load of that fella?” On the other, I’m a librarian…
Read on!
The Challenge With Hindsight
Every so often, the suggested friends portion of Facebook gets a click from me. An old poker-dealing buddy was the first hit from an unanswered question; after all these years, is he still with that…
Read on!
What Healing Feels Like
Absentmindedly, I started with “The client…” then stopped. This isn’t a progress note, an account for an insurance company to approve or deny. This is fun. This is where I play and chiropractically adjust my…
Read on!
The Not So Holy Grail
Today, a session reminded me of the assumptions and projections we create when we lack information. I think back to October of ’24, post cross-country move, when up was down and down was up. I…
Read on!Something went wrong. Please refresh the page and/or try again.
I love your writing.
Geez, Chuck. I’m blushing.
abortion…it takes a very courageous woman to admit those two difficult decisions. I could not be any more proud of you other than I know your Mom would have been. we all make mistakes, and should’nt have to pay for them with our lives and futures. Evelyn is the luckiest, to have you as her Mom,someone who was ready to love her💖
Thank you Kim. Your words mean a lot to me.