Author Archives: Jaclynn Loibl

I put my foot in my mouth. I say things that, afterward, when I’m alone with my thoughts, I go, “Jaclynn, c’mon. Did you really have to say that?” The two most recent instances come from therapy sessions. After a client mentioned their partner was cynical, I called them out, saying, “So are you,” beforeContinue reading “The Weight of Quick Words”

“Something wicked this way comes” is a thought I have whenever the sky darkens, the clouds move a bit too fast, and I get that thrilling shiver up my spine. I notice that I often talk about the weather. Is it because I’m still getting used to not having my “year badge” living in theContinue reading “Here Comes the Storm”

Evelyn’s flipping through channels on the hotel TV, and when I hear “Pillow Fighting Championship” with two muscle-bound 20-something men carrying fluffy, silky sacks, I shout, “Stop!” A collective sigh of disappointment came over us as the men stood next to the referee, waiting for the judge’s announcement of the winner. If only we hadn’tContinue reading “Ping to the Pong”

Four hours later, still looped around my finger, is a plastic ring—a silver-dollar-sized image of wide-eyed Stitch, the Disney character. I was tasked with safekeeping it after it had been plunged into a cupcake, while Evelyn played in the pool with the birthday girl. I’m used to Evelyn’s conflicts with Emma, the girl two doorsContinue reading “Good Golly, Miss Molly, Parenting is Hard”

Not much pushes me out of bed to write. I love that cozy, warm feeling of waking up too early, only to fall back asleep for another hour or two. But my mind—it’s awake. And because of the squeaking of its hamster wheel, rest feels like a tug-of-war. I don’t care politically. And by sayingContinue reading “Bread, Birds & Bare Walls”

There’s a way to listen so intently that you lose yourself. It’s as if only the other person exists—their needs, their world—and you’re simply in it. And it’s okay, because you choose to be there for them. To set aside your own momentary needs in service to theirs. And that, in itself, is everything. Love,Continue reading “The Listening Ear”

Having hour-long sessions—weekly, bi-weekly, or monthly—with people I have no history with invites a kind of mindful attunement. I become sharply aware of how each person affects me. How I experience their choices, their presence, their silences. Sometimes, their vulnerability moves me. It calls something forward in me, nudging me toward the harder, truer conversationsContinue reading “Clinging to the Mothership”

As Evelyn works on her ham, cheese, and ketchup sandwich, and the sun makes its final peek through the low-hanging branches of the pines, the porch frog, ever hiding, gives his evening call. It’s a quack-like sound that takes center stage, leaving the always-chattering mockingbirds and cardinals to take a backseat. The gnats have myContinue reading “A Day of Quiet Wins”

Hanging over like a side-swept umbrella is a mimosa tree, its blooms as soft and feathery as something you’d want to nuzzle your entire face into. The silky softness of the bloom, with its hundreds of delicate hairs, also smells like the sweetest flower in the botanical garden. Two of them, somewhere between 3’ andContinue reading “Securing My Insecurities”

Do you remember the “Wake Up, America” guy? He was that comedian with a heavy Texas drawl who’d start his rants with, “You know what really chaps my hide?” and “You know what really boils my biscuits?” I think it was on country music stations back in the day. Anyway, that old phrase popped intoContinue reading “Virtual Reality BFFs”