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I have spent most of my life living east of the Mississippi River.

There’s nothing that compares to the foothills of Appalachia.

The deep South is a bit too hot and the residents really don’t know what to do when it snows.

North Carolina’s mountains and coastline, both are beautiful. But the heat is oppressive at times.

Nothing compares to seeing the sun rise over the hills when you live on the west side of the Appalachians. At first, you get just this hint of color touching the darkness. Eventually, the color just seems to pour over everything, flushing out the darkness of night. The scenery is almost like when Dorothy opens the door of her uprooted Kansas house and finds herself in the land of Oz — like the world reveals just how beautiful it really is.

I have lived within eyesight of Appalachia more years than I haven’t. Almost every day, I find something new that takes my breath away.

At my core, I’m an adventurer in that I like learning new things. As a journalist, it’s my job to share what I learn with the community. But unlike Indian Jones, my journeys sometimes include government meetings, business openings and sporting events.

Some of that may seem boring, but it’s all part of what make our part of the United States pretty awesome. This is are all part of our history.
I have been covering communities for more than half of my lifetime. I have noticed common threads throughout each one I’ve lived in.

People want a chance to be heard. Knowing what is going on in their neighborhoods matters.

The newspaper, and media in general, is a way to link those common threads so ideas can be shared, not only in a community, but on a statewide or national level.

I’d love to help share more of Jessamine County’s story.

Please let me know how I’m doing and how I can help.

Correspondent Nicole Bowman-Layton wrote this column for the Jessamine Journal.  Email her at nsbowman@hotmail.com