More Than Just A Wheat Field

When I was traveling to Canada last week, my little three year old in the back seat kept asking, "Are we in Canada yet?"  He asked it over and over and I was so anxious to get to Canada so I could finally say yes.

Once we'd crossed the border, there were beautiful wheat fields as far as the eye could see.  I love the grain elevators that stand sentinel there, I love the views, the wide roads, everything about that place.  I was anxiously waiting for my little boy to say "Are we in Canada yet?"

He finally did and I held my hand out, pointing to the windows and said, "We are in Canada! We're here!"

He looked out his window and said, "This isn't Canada. This is a field."

(I snapped a picture.  Here it is.)

I couldn't help it, I laughed.  Here I was, so excited to be in Canada and to him, it was just a field.  It's all in the perspective.

So it is with any book that we read.  We all bring our own background, perspectives, and experiences to a book and what works for me in a book might not work for you.  Reading can be such an individual experience and yet shared by thousands.  A book experience becomes beautiful, just like that view of the Canadian wheat field is to me, when it expands into something more than "just a field" for you.

And yes, I think this is true of most genres.  Even fluffy escape fiction can provide an experience that expands my view.  What do you think?