When I was asked to write an article on how the philosophy and practice of the Tao (Dao) impacted my veterinary career, my initial response was a reserved yet enthusiastic “yes”. Upon pondering this invitation, memories of hundreds of moments in veterinary practice, when I made one choice versus another rushed through my “mindstream” like a pounding river running through a narrow gorge. Then I settled more deeply into the request, quieted my mind and experienced a deeper realization of the statement “The Way which can be spoken is not the eternal Way” (Lao Tse). I realized that in many ways this was a virtually impossible task as I appreciated even more that the Dao is beyond words. “Those who know it do not speak about it, those who speak about it do not know it”.