Previous Side by side, our feet resting on the headlights, Kent and I talk. He teaches elementary school in Manitoba, and with the remaining weeks of his summer break, he’s hiking, adventuring, and exploring national parks. Dehydrated from too much solitude, I drink in communion and belonging, savoring the feeling that someone else gets it.Continue reading “Where Beasts Roam (Book Part 30)”
Author Archives: Jaclynn Loibl
A Lingering Flame (Book Part 29)
Previous Dan came with me on this trip. Not physically, but psychologically. I was attached—obsessed. When the void within me yawned wider than I could bear, I called him. Just to hear his voice. To fan the flame that had long since been ignited. I dated Dan for less than a year during my sophomoreContinue reading “A Lingering Flame (Book Part 29)”
Aged to Perfection
Vulnerability and weakness are scary. I take a selfie of my 43-year-old self and don’t see vibrance—I see time. I see gravity’s sag and pull, like a claymation artist molding my face, tugging at my jowls to sculpt a bulldog’s flaps. I wish it would go away—the spots, the blotches, the redness that makes meContinue reading “Aged to Perfection”
A Light that Still Shines
My older cousin, once my roommate from freshman to junior year of college, sent my brother and me a photo. She’s standing between our mothers’ graves—her mom and mine. It’s a wet, gray day, and she’s placed small bouquets in upturned cups on each headstone. I pinch my phone screen to zoom in. My mom’sContinue reading “A Light that Still Shines”
Gone with the Wind
Renaissance Beach, accessible only by boat, is famous for its hand-fed flamingoes. But at $125 for a 10-minute boat ride, the price feels steep—especially for this Pacific Northwest ferry-taking girl who’s used to a much cheaper ticket. If it had been on my bucket list, maybe the extravagance would have been justified, but since it’sContinue reading “Gone with the Wind”
Floatie or Flight?
With the click of a button, our first three days in Aruba in an Airbnb are booked. This island vacation, set for two months from now, wasn’t even on our radar until two weeks ago when Dave’s sister casually threw out a fly-by invitation to her 40th. The invite was probably offhand because this isContinue reading “Floatie or Flight?”
Love at First Craft
If only I had voice-recorded the silly and lovely statements from the kids in the homeschool group today. But memory will have to do—so let’s give that a go. Eight-year-old Ayasha, bright-eyed and entirely without a filter, arrived with her uncle, who stayed in the car. As she walked in, she announced, “My uncle didn’tContinue reading “Love at First Craft”
Love at First Bite
Well, well, well, what do we have here? Another post, another day, another open microphone for me. The idea of a space to share my thoughts and daily life fluctuates wildly—sometimes I’m yippee skippy, ready to document every nook and cranny of my day, and other times I’m the quintessential kid just off the busContinue reading “Love at First Bite”
Flashback and Forth
Yesterday, as I scrolled through old pictures—salivating over the memory of hot cocoa in knee-deep snow, with Mount Rainier close enough to high-five—I tripped onto a photo of myself. The curtains were drawn. I was posing, deliberately amplifying my feminine assets, surrounded by a mix of people I’d met dealing poker at the casino. VaryingContinue reading “Flashback and Forth”
Developing Memories
I’m a pent-up lion pacing in captivity, waiting for a finger to slip through the iron bars so I can snap it off. Thankfully, my zookeepers—aka me—close the attraction, and I go pick up my laptop. I don’t want to direct my stir-crazy, home-all-day energy at my dear old husband and daughter, so I directContinue reading “Developing Memories”
Going On 40 