We carve out our own identity and possess our own purpose, and yet we also yearn to shed the isolation we feel within the envelope of our skin

What is it that we want? To fully experience our aliveness. To feel in our bodies a streaming, like the rush of a river over stones. To be awake, alert, and responsive in our limbs and sensitive in our fingertips to the textures we touch; to be infused with our own whispering current of wind; to feel as if our outer and inner reality is congruent and that our efforts are rewarded by a sense of satisfaction. We carve out our own identity and possess our own purpose, and yet we also yearn to shed the isolation we feel within the envelope of our skin. We desire union. We aspire to have our private lives nestle within the valley of a public world that we can affirm. We long to feel connected with each other. Like the woods that harbor wild creatures, creekbeds, and fertile pastures that rest upon a mound of earth that spreads into a vast range of mountains and plains-we want to feel a part of a community that spills into and becomes part of a larger universe. We want to be able to embrace and be embraced. We want to live the life of our bodies and want our bodies to permit us to fully live our lives. ~ Harriet Beinfeld, Between Heaven and Earth - A guide to Chinese Medicine