Introduction

Of all the spectacular places on Planet Earth, why write about the Midwest?

Who cares about the Great Lakes?  Who wants to hear about cornfields?  Isn't life boring and dull in The Middle?

There is one personal reflection that keeps me at peace wherever I am in the world, and that everlasting thought is called Midwestern Sensibility.  It's more than simplistic geographical circumstance.  Many can agree that it is a very real, real concept with purpose, poise and a solid sense of belonging in this world.

Midwestern dreamers always find each other in a big crowd.  As a little girl growing up in Indiana, my imagination made it possible to peer beyond the cornfields.  With the exception of some cartwheels and a few dozen hours spent hanging upside-down from the swing set, feet were almost always planted firmly on the ground. College experiences in the Midwest forayed into further plights of reservations and stifled dreams.  Life as an adult may have taken off soaring, but the Midwest is always going to keep some adventurers' foundation at home.

The world is one heck of a big place, and there's all sorts of wonder and mischief floating around out there.  Today, via Chicago, I have embarked on this new writing journey.  I will try and teach you and show you what my friends and I know about that sense of eternal Midwesterness.  I am looking forward to introducing you to new friends while we reconnect with some old friends along the way.  It's been years since we've all hung out.

 I promise it won't be boring.