Great reminders. I can tell when I'm feeling out of connection with myself, because I'm more unsure in dealing with others. You're right that it isn't their approval I need, but my own. But I'm looking for that outer confirmation because right then I can't find it within, though in reality it is ever present.

That's one of the reasons I like being alone in nature so much. It is the one situation that brings me back into balance when I somehow find myself out of balance (usually due to not taking care of the physical body with adequate rest, nutrition, etc.).