If we were left alone, with good nutrition, no one around us, would we age in the same way, or would we find our own pace for life and our dreams? Would our biology remain younger if we didn’t see the passing of time or bought into the belief that it had to happen?

The sunny, hot weather had dried up the water, and a usual Class III — IV river had dropped to a fun bumper boat ride. The boulders, normally hidden deep below the raging water created beautiful rock gardens that needed to be maneuvered quickly and precisely, as I followed the flow of the river through the maze.

When I was in high school my favorite teacher said, “The ‘A’ student will end up working for the ‘D’ student someday.”

I worked hard to get perfect grades and high SAT scores because I had been told since I was in kindergarten that it was the only way to success.