I am grateful for the living world, and that I was born in a time when there were still forests and animals here, even if I must watch as the anciently conserved ecologies are decimated.

And I am grateful for those whose presence in my life is deep and rich.

Perhaps, too, I am grateful to have known deep pain, suffering, confusion, and isolation; for without this experience my sharing in humanity might more easily be inclined to embody a superficiality that opposes both my nature and my heart.