A couple years back, I was sitting on a cliff and watching a storm roll in over the Bitterroot mountains. As the storm shook the forest canopy, this eagle surged from the dark clouds, right towards me.

Looking back, I was reminded of a few things. Like how my parents raised my sister and I. We were taught to venture out into the world, to carve a unique identity for ourselves, to become our own people. Our autonomous independence was respected…and personal growth encouraged. This was, perhaps, the greatest lesson from my parents. If you truly love something, you don’t try to control it. You let the person blossom organically.

And I think back to that evening in the Bitterroot Mountains, and that powerful storm, and the eagle. And now I know.

A healthy eagle flies far from the nest.