An outsiders view of the new wave of the fastest growing program for self improvement, positive change and the pursuit of happiness in America.

By Lance Rome

My name is Lance, and until recently I truly had no idea what was going on with all this chicken excitement surrounding me. Sure, my sister, Connie, has a small 5 acre farm, and sure she has animals in every corner of it. From the 2 Great Danes, the 2 Pit Bulls, the loyal German Shepard, the long list of cats that keep coming and going, down to the unforgettable Donkeys she keeps the fact is everywhere you turn there seems to be something furry to love....

But this year I noticed that her focus has been on something new, something that has become mysteriously powerful in her life....Chickens.

You see, she is now part of the craze that is slowly taking over the world around me. So, I have decided to share with you what I have seen take hold of her passions and direct them in a most profound way. It has become a new inner strength, a secret place, that is only hers. And it all started with her involvement in the life of "the Egg". What is this thing? How do I get it? Can it answer that age old question of what came first? If you were to ask my sister she would answer those questions by saying, "Who cares?" and then she would add, "It's not important, because what I have now, is both."

This has become a common thing among all the new people I have discovered that are also doing that "Raising chicken" thing. They have their own language, and they have words in it like, "meal worms"..."coops"..."girls"...and they talk to each other like they are part of their family news, keeping each other informed about the new eggs, and the new hen who is laying them now...and if that isn't confusing, yet completely intriguing enough, you should hear the names of their girls.

I guess what I am discovering is that it is an addiction, with a twist...It produces and provides, not only a sense of pride and accomplishment, but also a pretty good breakfast.