"We must make the choices that enable us to fulfill the deepest capacities of our real selves." Thomas Merton

In the woods and fields, the animals and insects know exactly what it is they want. Their small and beautiful lives revolve around getting what they know they need. Our human focus is not nearly as uncorrupted. Our awareness of our place in the world is far more fragile. Unlike our companions in the natural world, we are vulnerable to relinquishing our hopes and dreams when they take us down paths different from what most have traveled. In our search to be ourselves, it is easy to be convinced that unless we are like those around us, we have no place. Yet on reflection, the people we admire the most, are those who listened first to what their heart desired. A satisfying life evolves from delight and allegiance to who we are, instead of in tribute to what others expect or choose for us.