Stories by Janus

Dream fulfillment often comes in surprising packages. Seventy years ago, a second-grader brought home a milk carton containing a single cactus stalk; forty years ago, a single woman flew 2000 miles to her new home with a few scraggly cuttings tucked away in a suitcase; and now both are part of an enviable garden that graces their dream home, built on a lot that nobody else wanted.

One night in late January, a significant windstorm swept through parts of Southern California. Here are some reflections of what was blown away and what remains.

Whether you are one of those people who are always on time, or one of those people who are never on time, I hope you will enjoy this little reminder to be aware when those authority figure voices of our past get in the way of who we want to be now. You don't have to be how you used to be. You can be how you want to present yourself to the world today.

Take a moment to remember a time when you were in the presence of greatness, someone you truly admired. Here is a story recounting my few hours in the presence of Stokowski, and the lasting impression he made.

Have you ever had a day when what you intended to do and what you actually did, were two completely different things? If you have ever gone down a rabbit hole because you listened to too many phone alerts, this is a five-minute break for you.

Have you ever wondered what goes on inside the mind of your dog after you give them a command and before they decide what to do with that command? Here's an amusing standoff between Carina, a five-pound Maltese and her mommy.

We all have PTSD moments. Anytime you flinch, that's an example of bringing old baggage to a new situation. Noticing such a reaction is the first step to wiping the slate clean, and approaching life just as it comes. Janice narrowly escaped losing her home to a fire in 2003, and for well over the next decade, she was neurotic about packing for a trip, thinking that, if she left, her home might not be there when she returned. How much time do we waste by worrying about things that didn't happen? Here's her story about the Grand Prix Fire.

Have you ever been surprised that you start to sound like your mother? your father? an annoying authority figure you thought you left behind? In “An Open Letter to the CA Black Bears”, Janice becomes indignant about their lack of courtesy and respect for protocol.

Are you one of those people who is harder on themselves than anyone else, spending time ruminating about imperfections, ways in which you could improve? Janice was inspired by Dilruba Ahmed's poem “I Forgive” and wrote her own. You don't have to be who you were five years ago or even five minutes ago. Start by forgiving yourself and then just begin again.www.storiesbyjanus.com

Ever get your dream job, only to find out it's a bit of a nightmare? That's what happened to Janice. Here's her story of starting over in her mid-30s, retraining with a large corporation, and marrying a man she met only six months earlier. What changes do you need to make in your life?