Hi. My name is Emily Gaiser.
Thanks for swinging through my website. I use this space to share things that are important to me. Feel free to take a look around, and check back from time to time because - like me - it’s always a work-in-progress.
Read more about me below.
Here are some other places to start:
About me:
I’m in my mid-forties.
I still live in my hometown of Little Rock, AR.
I’m an 8th-generation Arkansan - (South Central Ozarks).
I’m married to John - also of LR.
I never had kids, but I have step-“kids,” grand-kids, nieces & nephews.
For 13+ years we ran estate sales as Pennsylvania Trading Co., and retired in August of ’22.
I study spirituality and get really geeky over it.
I consider myself a back-alley Christian, and a sort-of wild, feral mystic.
I’m a collector of all sorts of stuff.
I sell stuff at South Main Creative as Monk & Mystic (#28).
My husband and I have walked* every day for more than 6 years.
I have a (very) part-time job packaging spice and tea blends at Fennel and Fire.
I love to communicate in written form.
I love to sing, and I hear harmonies really easily.
I’ve always really loved photography - especially of people.
I’m a mixed-media artist and love to work with acrylic paint.
I was a homeless advocate for several years, and a volunteer with The Van/The One Inc.
I’ve worked a zillion jobs in a variety of fields - LOTS of customer service experience.
I’m a Seattle Seahawks fan/12th man - GO HAWKS!
I’m direct - to a fault, at times.
I smoke pot, drink, and tend to cuss.
I am not a life coach or professional therapist of any kind. I’m just a gal who has lived through stuff, and actively seeks to grow through it.
*or another dedicated activity of at least 20 mins. Yes. Every day. We call it a streak.
Transparency of stances/beliefs (my whys):
Faith cannot exist in the realm of certainty.
God is always bigger than the boxes we put him in.
God works in “whys,” not “whats” and “hows.”
The American Dream is not a biblical construct.
Money is a tool, and does not define your worth.
Money is not the only tool.
Power to/with is the goal - not power over.
As humans we are tasked with holding both light and darkness, simultaneously.
God is not afraid of sin. We sin - he loves us anyway. That’s what grace and salvation are about.
We don’t need permission to love and respect anyone.
Another person’s beliefs and actions can’t change our own - we’re in charge of that individually.
Our salvation and faith doesn’t have anything to do with what other people believe or do.
The middle ground is the common ground, and it’s WAY bigger than we act like it is.
It’s not our job to “fix” anyone else - for one thing, they’re not broken.
We are called to witness each other as magnificent reflections of God - exactly as we each are.
To love each other well, we each have to love ourselves well.
We are each created uniquely to do amazing things; and we can’t do those things if we’re trying to be someone else, or live someone else’s journey.
We’re allowed to be beginners.
The journey really is the destination - and the only way we won’t get there is if we don’t let ourself live it.
Comparison is the thief of joy.
Perfectionism is a privacy fence.
Transparency is powerful.
True confidence doesn’t have anything to do what other people are doing.
We are responsible for our own happiness.
We are not responsible for the happiness of others.
Two halves don’t make a whole when it comes to hearts. We are not waiting/looking for someone else who completes us. Live fully, now.
We are always whole, and no one has authority to “take” or “break” part of our spirit.
We don’t (& can’t) know everything, but curiosity and openness carry us well.
We are in charge of our expectations.
Emotions are messengers. They are for us, but don’t give them control.
Good and evil are not based in what we do, but why we do it.
A few not as lovely realities:
When I’m “done,” I’m outta there. Over it. Often gone without a trace. This can be due to overwhelm, burn-out, over-extension, feeling trapped, recognized mis-alignment with my values, … and maybe a few details of my upbringing. It can be both good and bad. I do recognize that I can execute it in a more responsible way than I have (many times) in the past, as well as manage my life in ways that keep me out of situations like that to begin with.
Part of my obsessive thoughts center around the need to explain myself or my situation. Part genetics / part upbringing. Its happening in my head most of the time and often spills out of my mouth in ways that are unnecessary to anyone other than myself.
In a desire to let people know I can relate, I also have a way of sharing when I should just be listening. I see that it can come off as self-absorbed, and attention-grabbing.
Other ways you may or may not relate to me:
I’m bisexual (and I’m in a monogamous, committed relationship of almost 20 years with a cis-gendered (straight) man).
I have sensory sensitivities.
I have obsessive and compulsive thoughts (that sometimes show in my actions).
I was diagnosed with ADD in 2nd grade.
I struggle consistently with insomnia (it’s the primary reason I smoke pot).
I have suffered from ongoing suicidal thoughts several times in my life.
I have a type of eating disorder that is related to my sensory issues.
I’ve participated in therapy and counseling on and off through my life.
I’ve been estranged from my immediate family since 2018.
I was raised in the conservative Christian culture (but left when I was 23).
I’ve experienced the sudden death of someone that I thought I would marry.
I’m what the 80’s referred to as a “tom-boy” - and I’m comfortable with that tag.