The fork in the road stood before me. To my right, a open path of dark rich soil, wide open, but covered by the shade of the tall trees. It lay open, flat, and easily traveled. It was an extension of the path I was already on, an easy way to traverse the world. I could take this path and keep moving in my current direction or I could take the left fork and see where it took me. The left path was covered in brush and tree branches. I couldn’t see the path on the ground, as the trees blocked it from view. What I could see had tree roots and rocks breaking up the light soil, showing a path that wasn’t easily traveled. I stood at the fork in the road, my feet planted firmly ahead and knew that I had to decide which way to go. I could take the right path and continue on in an easy manner, the ground and scenery familiar, or I could take the left path, the way unclear and potentially treacherous. I didn’t want to take the easy path; my heart wasn’t looking for familiar pathways and easy walks. I’m not sure if that made me a masochist or if I just wanted a change. Either way, my feet turned to the left and I pushed aside the trees and stumbled along an unmarked path, choosing to go where there were less branches and bushes to block my way. I scrambled over a fallen tree, pausing mid-straddle to look up at the sky, which was only visible as patches of bright blue through the heavy treetops. Around me, life could be heard. Birds were calling, bees were buzzing, and butterflies flitted in and out of the dappled sunlight as they searched for nectar. I slipped off the log and continued moving forward until I reached a very large, tall oak tree, directly in front of a cliff face that rose up 30 feet in the air. I could chose to remain here, stuck, I could try and scale the cliff face, but it looked slick and hard to manage, or I could do what I had done countless times before in my childhood and climb the tree. I had a feeling that this path would give me these sorts of choices moving forward – stay still (stuck), try and climb the unclimbable (resistance and frustration), or find a more fun route, one that evokes the emotional freedom of being a kid. Taking a breath, I grabbed a lower branch and began to climb.