Finally we have rain. It started gently, but now I can hear a heavier rain and drops plunking as they hit the umbrella yet there is no fierceness about this rain. The forecast does say a thunderstorm for the afternoon. I hope so.

I was a fearless kid. I think most kids are. On the swings we’d pump and pump our legs until we were going faster and higher. Once we got high enough, we’d jump off and fly for just a little bit. We climbed trees and crossed ponds using makeshift rafts. We tried to ride horses bareback in the field. We climbed the water tower. I remember once my friend and I needed to cross the highway for a shortcut home. It was two lanes then two more lanes in the other direction for us to cross. We stood and watched for a break in the traffic then ran across the first two lanes to the grassy median where we sat for a bit catching our breaths before the next leap. When we were ready, we stood beside the traffic watching for a break. When it came, we ran across to the other side then jumped the fence. To us it was no big deal, but I suspect my mother would have been horrified as the traffic was fast and heavy on that highway, Route 93. We had no doubt we’d be safe. We were kids. We were invincible.

A few broken bones and chipped teeth later I know invincibility isn’t true, but that hasn’t stopped me. I like the adventure, the novelty of trying new things, of going new places and eating strange foods. I love off the beaten track and find it odd other people don’t. Life is filled with so many possibilities I wish I could try them all.