Each morning we awaken to a new day – never knowing what joy or grief, gift or challenge may fill its hours. Recently my days include loss and sadness, yet in spite of that, each morning the sun pierces the darkness and each evening the sun melts in the horizon – both with magnificent displays of color. We’re not meant to coddle persistent worries. Like sunrise and sunset, insights illuminate our perspectives every day. After a while – however long it takes – life is our teacher and we learn.

Martin Luther King is the only non-president to have a national holiday dedicated in his honor. It is well deserved. Dr. King was an inspiring writer and orator, and while others were advocating violence, King used words and nonviolent resistance to achieve legal equality for African-Americans. Words are powerful. They change our perspective and move us to action. “I Have a Dream” was named the greatest speech of the 20th century, but it could have turned out differently. The words Dr. King spoke were not the speech he wrote.

I'm stuck. My usual ability to maintain focus and commitment disappeared like the full moon. Slices reappear. Yesterday I kept two calendar appointments. With the rest of the day's scheduled commitments, I procrastinated, started and stopped activities, made a list and misplaced it, and was grateful the list was lost. I won’t allow anything to urge me into reluctant action.

Ready for a dose of the Tao? I came across a yellowed dog-eared book called, “The Tao Speaks. Lao-Tzu’s Whispers of Wisdom.” By chance it opened to the chapter on Virtue where it boldly proclaimed: “A virtuous person is like water and its special characteristics.” Are you as curious as I was to explore this analogy and its meaning?