Author Archives: Jaclynn Loibl

I don’t drink anymore. Otherwise, I’d share my mind. I wouldn’t dare express anger or bitterness at the sinkhole you once occupied—rather an unfortunate disappointment. Did you know they chopped down the cherry tree we carved our initials in? Or that the pair of saplings we planted in my backyard have grown tall? Funny howContinue reading “Battle Trench”

Head back, propped on my chair hammock, I gently swing as a large plane cuts through the sky. A mile or more away, a muffled house party’s musical beat hits my ear. Much closer the frog’s belt their song while my finger’s type. Sometimes I want to throw caution to the wind, stay up allContinue reading “Forbidden Furbaby”

I do not need to do so, but I ask myself: What does a breakup look like for someone with a healthy sense of self? After being estranged for ten years, a father and daughter sat together on my office couch this evening. Being a supportive fly on the wall at their reunion was heart-wrenchinglyContinue reading “Legit To Quit”

Exiting the library, I was greeted by an ominous darkness as well as a warmth reminiscent of our Florida vacation thunderstorms. I wanted to shake my fist at the sky, “Don’t just loom overhead, blast us with a refreshing downpour and ease the heat!” Oooh, I just heard thunder! My speaking its name summoned it!Continue reading “Reign On Me”

Pizza-making festivities are happening around me as Evelyn lies sprawled across my chest, watching Cinderella. This morning I received a Rastafarian-like beaded necklace from her that says, “I Love You Mom,” and it’s been around my neck all day. I’m on sneeze -and I’m not kidding – 65 or more for the day. My illnessContinue reading “Move That Stream”

My favorite aspect of vacation is sliding into its lazily laid-plan mindset, however, whenever I fish for it after the work week, my tippy toes never quite reach. Today was different. On the outdoor patio I watched movie after movie, swung in the hanging chair, kayaked, talked to a neighbor about nothing in particular, andContinue reading “Believe In The Wind”

I’ve found two four-leaf clovers; one when I was eight and the other when I was 35. And both times it felt like I’d won the lottery. Desiring to keep the first forever, my mom taught me to spritz the delicate leaves and stem with hairspray before sandwiching it between two pieces of saran wrap.Continue reading “Ducks (Not) In A Row”

I took this post’s picture of a fresh molehill in my newly manicured lawn. My go-to fixes for them is using a water hose to find the exit hole and wash in the soil and rocks. I love it when our Georgia family members visit and ask what they are; I want to say thoseContinue reading “Holey Moley”

What I’ll leave behind in nine minutes as I trek downstairs to a final counseling session is sitting cross-legged on the deck, the cat’s nose pressed against the screened window, Archie back wrestling an itch into the lawn, Dave laying out on a lawn chair, as Evelyn naps on the couch inside. Did you knowContinue reading “Butterflies & Bees, Oh My”

I’m enjoying editing a portion of my book. So much so that I’m cutting and pasting it here to get back to it. I see this regularly in counseling sessions. The deer in the headlights look tells me when I’ve gone too far but also that I’m right where I need to be. The semiContinue reading “Don’t Judge A Book”