The Chronicles of Janie

Source Fall brings out the fact that I live in farming country. Harvesting happens everywhere, all the time - combines roaring through the fields by day, silo blowers humming into the night. If I'm lucky on my morning drive to work, I end up behind a piece of farming equipment or one of those vintage farm trucks that you only ever see in the fall. Then I cuddle down into my sweater and enjoy a leisurely drive. I wonder about the farmer, perched high in the vehicle ahead of me. Is he enjoying the morning as much as I am? Did he get a good crop this year? I have no idea who he is or where he lives, but I feel a warm benevolence toward him because, for a short time at least, we have a kinship - we are both harvesters, caught up in the hurly-burly of a changing year. Dad would, of course, be able to tell me exactly who the farmer is. Dad would know where he lives, and where his family lives. These connections are important in our little farming community. If you don't kn...

Source Perhaps it's because I've been writing trying to write more often. Perhaps it's something in the weather or the water. Perhaps it's just a stage of this life I'm living. Whatever the cause, I've found myself becoming caught up in the tiny details of other people's lives - details so ordinary, so small, that I'd never thought to notice them before now. I am frequently reminded that other people aren't like me. This is a fact that I have always acknowledged, but which is being impressed upon me more clearly. Each person is a beautifully unique individual. They're different...and that is exciting. A few recent happenings have added fresh aspects to my understanding of other people. Maybe, through letting go of some of my pride and stepping outside of my own personality in order to create fictional characters, I've become a better observer. Or maybe I've just become better at taking people at face value. ______________...