I still remember the river we saw while on vacation in Yosemite my junior year of high school.  The river’s perfectly clear waters shot past in a narrow channel, about hip deep. The icy cold chilled my parent’s feet as well as my brother’s, and mine as we sat on the edge.  My mother, brother, and I decided to jump in.  The cold rushed over me and after a few minutes, I got out shivering, but with the endorphin rush that comes from a dunk in freezing water.  The memory of that state of well-being has stayed with me my whole life. I felt fully alive at that moment and…