the acorn and the oak tree

after considerable thought, the excerpt that really left most impact is the following:

My thoughts turn to something I read once, something the Zen Buddhists believe. They say that an oak tree is brought into creation by two forces at the same time. Obviously, there is the acorn from which it all begins, the seed which holds the promise and potential, which grows into the tree. Everybody can see that. But only a few can recognize that there is another force operating here as well - the future tree itself, which wants so badly to exist that it pulls the acorn into being, drawing the seedling forth with longing out of the void, guiding the evolution from nothingness to maturity. In this respect, say the Zens, it is the oak tree that creates the very acorn from which it was born.

we go through life, taking it as it comes. there is barely time, most times, to step back and think "where am i coming from?", "where am i going?", "do i really want to be here? and there?". thoughts like these wander in the background, aching to make their presence felt. but life, as it will, continues to ignore. and one way or another, if we're so fortunate, we find ourselves face to face with our present reality. the road we're on, we realize, doesn't go where we want it to. the truth is waiting. something's got to go...

i am at that place, if ever so briefly, where i can dare to say "this is who i wish to be". this is the "future tree" of the seedling i am now. it matters no more how i will get there and how long it will take. the start and the end are clearly visible; all else will follow.