I decided to commute via bicycle this year, in an effort to fit exercise into my way too busy life, go green, and save money. It's great fun except for one thing: the commute to campus is 3.5 miles and literally uphill the entire way! Last week, while sweating my way through town, I thought about just giving up. There was this moment where my legs were burning from exertion and I just didn't want to do it anymore. I questioned if the effort was worth it. The climb is very gradual for a while and then, just when I'm a few blocks from my destination, the climb becomes so incredibly steep that I sometimes have to get off and walk my bike. It always feels like I'll never reach the top and yet, somehow, I always do.
While making the ascent one beautiful morning, I began to realize how very symbolic is my commute! The never-ending uphill battle to campus is the perfect metaphor for my never-ending uphill battle to my degree. I am at this very moment in my final climb. It is steep and seemingly impossible at times. Sometimes, I have to persevere in a way that feels almost like giving up; just as when I need to get off and walk the bike up the final hill. Although it may not be the most graceful way to reach the top, nor the fastest, I am getting there and on my own power.
The very same day I was contemplating these similarities, I encountered the most beautiful butterfly on my commute home. Getting home feels so easy - that giant hill is a breeze on the way down! The creature flew directly in front of me, about five feet away, for a half mile of my ride; as if it was guiding me home! It was so incredibly moving and rewarding to realize that had I not struggled my way up the hill, I would not have been a witness to this incredible gift on the way down the hill. Each time now I feel like calling it quits when school overwhelms me, I just remind myself of the butterfly and press on.
