A Lesson I Learned from Brown Sugar

Peace my people,

LONG Time! I know! I'd love to fill you in about my whereabouts in my absence but this blog isn't about ME. Let's get to it! OK? OK.

In "the life & times" of Janine, I tend to find mini lessons in most of my daily activities and would like to share one with you.

I recently bought a bike (featured above). Her name is Brown Sugar. On one of our many adventures, we ended up on the Brooklyn Bridge. I usually ride her to the Manhattan side and then RIGHT back. The "lesson" came to me on one of our journeys.

Coming back from Manhattan is quite a task. The uphill is steeper than leaving Brooklyn. I found

the (life) lesson in that very trip.

I noticed that I HAVE to continue to pedal while riding up the steep hill otherwise I may become stagnant or even drift in the opposite direction. So I thought: the same goes for life. If I have a goal that I'd like to reach-whether big or small- there is no time for deviation from that plan, no breaks, no side-tracking from that mission.

While biking, I can stop for the beautiful view or to admire the architecture. But, in reference to my "goal" it's a waste of time. I can simply glance at the view and/or enjoy the pleasant weather while still moving forward. It is all a part/the beauty of the journey.

SIDEBAR: Months before I got Brown Sugar, I would rent bikes to go around town. One day another biker flew past me as I was "coasting" and yelled back to me "Never stop pedaling." I find this extremely relevant for this metaphor. As to say, never stop going for that goal/dream/aspiration. Keep pedaling until you achieve it.

ALSO!!

While on the bridge, there is a place for walkers and a place for bikers. These walkers don't know your beautiful struggle and probably don't/won't understand it. Their path and pace is different from yours. They take their time to reach their destination and that's their choice. You two are in two different lanes: not better or worse, just different.

I say ALL that to say (1) Never stop pedaling; and (2) Find the lessons that life reveals to you on a regular basis. The saying is "you learn something new everyday." What if that "something" is about Life or about Self?

Just food for thought.

Peace people. :)

PS: this metaphor can extend in SO many different directions. I tried to keep this short and concise. Feel free to add to the metaphor.