"You can't depend on your eyes when your imagination is out of focus." -Mark Twain

There exists in nature a lizard called the basilisk, or "Jesus Christ lizard," which can literally run across the surface of water. A better known fact is that the cheetah can sprint at speeds approaching 80 mph. And another fun animal fact: Acacia trees can send signals to one another by releasing wind-borne chemicals.

These are all highly specialized abilities unique to these beings. But take away the lizard's ability, and it suddenly sinks into water only to be munched by a fish. Take away the cheetah's speed, and it will never catch its prey. Disable the acacia trees' ability to communicate, and giraffes would devour their leaves in a matter of hours.

Human beings also have a unique ability that no other being, creature, or species enjoys: the ability to imagine.

How do we do this? The most recent addition to the mammalian brain is its neocortex, which processes abstract thought, words, and symbols. The size of the neocortex in a human being is substantially larger than in other mammals, so scientists assume that humans are the only species with abstract thought, inspiration, musical composition, creative expression, and so forth. But so many humans fail to utilize this special ability of the brain and, like the slow cheetah or the heavy-footed Jesus Christ lizard, wonder why life is such a struggle.

What makes highly evolved human beings unique is their ability to take time to think outside the box and get some perspective on life. Otherwise they feel lost.

Imagine, for example, you're trying to walk your dog from point A to point B, but there are ten friendly, frisky other dogs standing in the way. Not an easy task, right? Well, like dogs, we often never make it to point B, because a million distractions confuse and ultimately cloud our Path. We forget who we are ... and why we're here.

Deepak Chopra once told a great story: A man prayed and prayed to see his God. Finally, after many years, the God appeared and drew close to the man, who dropped to his knees in devotion. The man said, "I will do anything for you ... anything at all." The God replied, "Get me a drink of water." The man was surprised, but nevertheless he ran toward the river to fetch some water. Along the way, the man met a woman, fell in love, had children, and accumulated much wealth ... until one day a terrible storm wiped him out. He lost everything, and again was on his knees praying for help from his God. The God appeared and drew close to the man, who again dropped to his knees in devotion. The man said, "I will do anything for you ... please help me."

And the God replied, "Where's my drink of water?"

Every so often, you gotta step back, take a breath, eliminate the distractions, and remember where you really want to go, and what you really want to do. In the words of Helen Keller, "The most pathetic person in the world is someone who has sight but no vision."