Every story I’ve ever written started with an animal. A squirrel who wasn’t afraid of people. A cat who ruled a kingdom. A dog who changed the way I see the world.
Animals don’t overthink. They just are — present, honest, and wide open.
I’ve spent a lot of my life around them, and the more I pay attention, the more I realize they’re not just characters in my stories. They are teachers.
I lived near a park in Altadena with my dog Montana. One afternoon a young mom walked up carrying a toddler. Her daughter wasn’t walking, yet. She asked if her little girl could pet him.
“Sure,” I said.
I gave Montana the lay-down cue. He bowed and stretched out on the grass. Mom set her daughter down. The little girl started cooing, then crawling toward him. Then she woozily stood up, wobbled over, and tossed herself right on top of him, giggling.
Montana didn’t flinch. He just loved her.
After we’d moved to Forest Falls, Montana taught me something very important — how to let go.
We used to play fetch in Mill Creek — cool mountain water, any old stick. He’d race after it like it was the most valuable thing in the world, then splash back beaming with pride, clamping down so hard I had to wrestle it from him while he growled playfully. That was the game. That stick was everything.
Until another dog showed up. Then the stick hit the ground like yesterday’s news and Montana was gone. No second thoughts. No internal debate about the pros and cons of dropping the stick. No wondering whether the other dog would like him. Just — gone. Off on the next great adventure.
Montana taught me about love and being present than anything else in my life.
The biggest lesson Montana taught me?
Time.
Montana lived every single moment like it was the only one that mattered. No past, no future — just now. Watching him taught me to cherish the time I have and honor the people in my life by honoring theirs.
That’s why I write about animals.
There’s a lot more where that came from — which is why I’m writing a book about our adventures together.
Montana and Me: Finding Home — coming soon.
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