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Jessica Fralin

Jessica Fralin

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Category: make Monday kind

Posted on March 13, 2017

#makeMondaykind: An Introduction

Last week's giveaway was so much fun for me - not just because I got to share some of my favorite products with y'all (congrats to Lauren from Texas for winning!), but because I saw you guys get on board. You're ready to share kindness & kick start your week with a dose of encouragement. …

Continue reading "#makeMondaykind: An Introduction"

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Love this crew with my whole heart. It took a few years, Nashville, but this morning I got to sing about a risen King beside friends who feel more like family, and I’m bursting with gratitude over it all. 💕
I’ve gotten a few DMs and emails lately to the tune of, “Are you still writing these days?” I’ve come to the realization that in hopes of being the girl who isn’t annoying about her job on the internet, I have, in fact, not talked enough about my job on the internet. In short, I am absolutely still writing, and I would very much like to trade my words for your money. Got a byline that needs writing? I’m your girl. Need steady blog posts for your small business? Hi there. Trying to spruce up your resumé, bio, Hinge profile? Pick me. Starting a new pub? Let’s talk. I’ve been known to write everything from show notes to bat mitzvah recaps, book reviews to little league championship interviews, pop culture essays to Nashville mural listicles. A few of those are jokes - I’ll let you decide which. But truly, if you need words (of any kind) put to the page, I’d love to hear from you. I’m most happy in the spheres of faith, culture, and creativity, but I love a new adventure, too - so pitch me whatever you’ve got. I have a feeling that great new work is juuuust up ahead, and I’m really excited to find it. 💛
On Monday night’s flight back to Nashville, I looked over at @alexisteichmiller and said, “This is one of the first trips I’ve taken with a friend when I can truly say, ‘I’m going to miss spending 24/7 with you.’” Our friendship is easy, in so many ways, because we’re Enneagram 8s and we work remote jobs and we’re travel fiends, but that isn’t what’s made it stick. All the deepest and best relationships require some hard work. I’m certainly not an expert, but here’s what forging friendship with this gal has taught me: 1. You have to show up. There’s no room for selfishness and depth in the same space. Celebrate with them when it’s great. Sit with them when it’s hard. Show up emotionally, show up as a good listener, literally show up at their doorstep with cookies or a breakfast sandwich - there’s no better gift than presence. 2. Don’t be afraid of depth or lightness. The best kind of friends can stare down the dark with you, and also tell you jokes on an airplane that make you laugh so hard the lady three rows away stares you down. (I am speaking from experience.) It’s hard to find friends who are a good hang AND have depth, so when you find someone who’s willing to cultivate both, KEEP ‘EM. 3. (*louder for the people in the back*) WELCOME HEALTHY CONFLICT. Toooooo many of us believe that healthy relationships don’t have conflict, and nothing could be further from the truth. Avoidance and passive aggression are enemies of health, so don’t let them in. Accept criticism from hearts you love and trust, and don’t stuff hurt and disappointment down when you need to voice it. Your friendship will be better for it. There’s just nothing like having a friend that is undoubtedly on your team, come hell or high water - or promotion or relocation or sickness or any other damn thing. If you have even one, you’re lucky. If you have a handful, GOSH, work to keep them. What a gift. Thankful that this sweet face is a friend like that to me.
My best kept secret: for years, I’ve been compiling a list of all the must-see local bookstores in America (over 100 cities and counting!). But here in Portland, I didn’t even need to consult it - if you’re a reader at all, Powell’s is a name you know well. And y’all, IT DID NOT DISAPPOINT. We spent hours roaming and filling our baskets... and then we came back the next day to do it again. 😂 Turns out, balancing a stack on your head is hard (swipe to see the concentrated face!), but buying them is easy as pie. Books bring a little piece of a city’s magic back home with me. I might have to sit on my suitcase to get it closed, but now I’ll always have a piece of Portland on my shelf. What’s your favorite local bookstore? My list still has room 😉 (📷: my best travel buddy @alexisteichmiller)
Theme of the weekend: overly caffeinated and really happy about it. Portland, you’re treating us SO RIGHT.
For the mornings when you don’t recognize the woman in the mirror, Unkempt hair, puffy eyes, From staring at a spreadsheet for hours on end, From catnapping in a rocking chair with twelve pounds of your heart in your lap, From tears that dropped silently on the empty pillow beside you, You may not recognize her, but I do. She has not had time to apply concealer because she has been too busy living a life - Cutting costs to bring her fledgling business into the world, Sacrificing sleep to bring her baby some rest, Letting the tears fall to bring her broken heart some relief. She is resilient. And resiliency is the best kind of beauty I know. Being a woman is not easy But you are up for the challenge. The fight in your eyes tells me so. Fight on, woman in the mirror. We are all cheering for you.
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