How seamlessly the YouTubing ladies hung wallpaper. With doodads and thingamajigs, they smoothed and sliced, then stood back and said, “You can too!” And I believed them. Right up until the glue-backed paper didn’t stick. Or the middle section bulged. No amount of finesse with the box cutter could stop me from tearing the paperContinue reading “Patchwork Progress”
Author Archives: Jaclynn Loibl
The Power Be Trippin’
Browsing Reddit’s top news stories this week is dizzying. The insider trading, corruption, and lack of accountability make me feel as queasy as I did last night after eating too much strawberry shortcake. So I’ll switch my thinking to something of a palate cleanser—like the literal tug-of-war match we played today. A group of usContinue reading “The Power Be Trippin’”
Eyes on the Island Prize
My eyes are heavy, puffy, watery—like I’m up way past my bedtime but still going back for seconds. I probably have pink eye. Or allergies. Considering Evelyn is just getting over pink eye and I pride myself on not having allergies, odds are it’s pink eye. The last time I had it, I was 23Continue reading “Eyes on the Island Prize”
Sazón and Self-Control
Fasting for weight loss means I get hangry. To sidestep the anger and the irritating, drumming-finger wait until a meal arrives—a marathon of time away—I stay busy. Like collecting eggs with my nude five-year-old, folding towels, and wondering how seven pieces of Evelyn’s clothes wound up on the living room floor. Then I remember: sheContinue reading “Sazón and Self-Control”
Chickens Before Fireworks
I still can’t believe we moved to Georgia. And yet, my life here already feels like a comfy pair of worn-in sweats. Despite the four inches of rain in under 24 hours, the thigh-sized branches, the bear-hug-wide tree that fell, and hearing my first tornado siren—the weather feels like a fun novelty. Like the groceryContinue reading “Chickens Before Fireworks”
After He Said That (Book Part 32)
Previous I didn’t realize how much I’d dropped the mask until it slipped completely. That’s the thing about pretending—you don’t always know you’re doing it until you stop. And at this moment, with Kent, I wasn’t pretending. Not even a little. The dome light is on, allowing details of Kent’s face—ones I hadn’t noticed before—toContinue reading “After He Said That (Book Part 32)”
The Mask They Built (Book Part 31)
Previous I’ve been writing this book for fourteen years. Terrifying feelings acting like imagined “Do Not Enter” signs have often felt real enough to stop me cold. Sometimes I could only manage a paragraph. A page a month. Honesty is required. But real honesty—the kind that pricks one’s finger and draws blood—shook me to myContinue reading “The Mask They Built (Book Part 31)”
Strawberry Picking Pics
The Butterfly Effect
On the pool deck, cooled black coffee with heavy cream riding shotgun beside me, I sit and watch. Evelyn, age five, swims with a level of skill that would make any parent feel confident stepping away for a quick bathroom break. Overhead, a black swallowtail butterfly flits above, then lands nearby, flexing its mighty wingsContinue reading “The Butterfly Effect”
The Fast and the Flexible
Lying on the yoga mat, I count each time my head pulls up and over until I sit up straight. The 100-per-day sit-up streak is going strong, as is my mind’s whirl with a torrid of other thoughts. In the seven-foot mirror, I glimpse my face and immediately think of the T-1000 from Terminator 2—notContinue reading “The Fast and the Flexible”
Going On 40 