Heya,

When I was a kid growing up in Australia, the book we read in school one year was I Can Jump Puddles, Alan Marshall's autobiography. What I realize now is how that book has remained with me, how it taught me to live each moment of each day; to be resilient, to try to forgive the past, anticipate the future and be optimistic while actively engaging all my senses in being in this moment.
It also taught me to respect and love puddles.
It rained today in Los Angeles and I have just returned from walking my dog. We were the only two people alive on our street. The air feels crisp and renewed. Man, did we need this rain.
As our city residents are rationing water, on the flip side all those fire victims are still rebuilding and probably hated the rain.
But yes, we needed it.
And Venus and I needed those puddles.
I am grateful for the books I read growing up, for S.E. Hinton. God bless you woman, The Outsiders and Rumble Fish absolutely spoke to me.
I am grateful to my school librarian who turned me on to Go Ask Alice. I am grateful people told me I could and should write and although my earliest efforts were rather grim - I was obsessed with horses and death as a pre teen and all my characters, even the horses died - my imagination became my refuge and my weapon,
Being able to cook up HOT male-male potboilers set in warm, tropical Hawaiian paradise while I am getting my actual warmth from my fireplace - ah, bliss...
And, yes, I can and still do always jump puddles.... 
    

Aloha oe,

A.J.