Don't. Stop.

Sweat pouring down my face. Legs pumping, muscles aching, arms flailing. No relief from the hot sun. I see the top up ahead. Just a little bit more. Cm'on, you can do it. 97, 98, 99, 100. And...... downhill! Yes!

Yom Tov was all about walking and sweating. Besides for the other two favorite activities, eating and sleeping. The beautiful city of which I found myself a guest of is comprised of many many hills. To shul and back, leisure walk, all of them involved hills. Even if we start out going downhill, well what goes down- I suppose it must come back up again. Sometimes. Unless you can find a way to go downhill both ways?

My friends were exclaiming how astonishing it is that I can walk up a hill so fast, while they lag behind. What they don't get is, if I walked up the hill slowly, I would never make it. What drives me is the motivation, that the faster I do it the faster it'll be over with. Keep going, I see the top, power on, I know it is almost over. THAT is the only way I get up the hill so fast.

Otherwise, I would stop to rest and never continue on.

So it is with life.

As I cooled down from the sweat of a good workout, my legs crying out in pain, and enjoyed a cold shower after Yom Tov, I realized that one can really learn a lesson from everything.

I hope everyone had a great Yom Tov, and the blueberry cheesecake really was very good. Enjoy the leftovers!