Jaclynn Loibl

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”

Here I Go Again (to the Freezer)

I have to start somewhere, and this sentence is it. Am I done yet? I ask myself. The kid-like urge to play, eat ice cream, and paint with a rainbow-colored thick marker all over the walls is at the helm. And you know what? I’ll let her. Because the editor, the eraser, the authoritarian finger-waggerContinue reading “Here I Go Again (to the Freezer)”

Cleaning Out My Closet

“You’re not getting a housecleaner,” I tell myself as the toothbrush-like nightstick in hand gets one last plunge into the too-far-gone toilet. But it would sure be nice, wouldn’t it? Often I strive to entertain and leave the reader better for reading. Full disclosure: today might not be that day. The thought of taxes cameContinue reading “Cleaning Out My Closet”

Say My Name, Say My Name

I’m feeling a little self-conscious about what I wrote and want to delete it all. It’s that impulsive, Tasmanian Devil side of me—something I need to be careful not to act on. So, as I was saying… My inability to wrap my head around taxes has led me here—to a breather from the fear thatContinue reading “Say My Name, Say My Name”

The Exhausting Negotiation

I’m really good at falling asleep during movies. It doesn’t matter if I’m at home or in the theater—I’ll find a way to drift off. And sometimes, like last night, I’m fully engaged, swinging high on the entertainment swingset with zero intention of hitting the snooze button. But still, my body gave in, and IContinue reading “The Exhausting Negotiation”

I Showed Up for a World Record — But Found Something Else

“I got a broken one,” I said after three forceful blows into the squarish rectangular hole. “You hum into it,” Dave gently reminded me as we walked toward Macon’s Amphitheatre. My 7-year-old self would’ve shaken her head and disowned me on the spot, but at 43, I didn’t entirely believe my husband. Still, I wasContinue reading “I Showed Up for a World Record — But Found Something Else”

Welcome to the Dollhouse

Tomorrow, I’ll be standing in a crowd of people attempting to break a Guinness World Record. The details? Doors open at 4 p.m., the official attempt is at 6 p.m., and, according to a very optimistic local news article, “a comedian and musical acts” will also attend. I can’t help but be skeptical about theContinue reading “Welcome to the Dollhouse”