I set a goal--to hike the 4,100-foot ascent of Half Dome in Yosemite. I was drawn to this destination by its beauty, a beauty not because it was perfect, but because it was imperfect. Half Dome's shape is unforgettably distinctive because it's broken. If were whole, it would lose its uniqueness. The spirit-building message wasn't lost on me. Just becausr I wasn't perfect didn't mean I couldn't stand as tall and mighty as anyone else