At the coast, the ocean carves the sand. Water pools in the dank silt of the inlet where mosquitoes swarm and bog turtles hide. The Tao Te Ching (translation: “The Way and its Power”), written by Lao Tzu, directs my attention to the humility, flexibility and power of water. Can I be like water, flow downhill into places that many people reject and still retain my true nature? Is this what compassion looks like?