“When Chekhov saw the long winter, he saw a winter bleak and dark and bereft of hope. Yet we know that winter is just another step in the cycle of life. But standing here among the people of Punxsutawney and basking in the warmth of their hearths and hearts, I couldn’t imagine a better fate than a long and lustrous winter. From Punxsutawney, it’s Phil Connors. So long.” —Bill Murray as Phil Connor in Groundhog Day

(The film Groundhog Day came out almost 32 years ago, so you’ve had three decades if you’re over 32. SPOILERS AHEAD!) When you ride your bike every single day–as this dude has for five years and almost four months–things can get to feel a bit repetitive. When you ride your bike every single day–as this dude has for over five years and almost four months–things can get to feel a bit repetitive. Biking daily is a bit like Groundhog Day. As as with the classic film, one puts on similar clothing, starts out doing the same thing from the same place, and may see many of the same places. While I can barely claim to be even a lower-case buddhist, the teachings of the Buddha aka Buddhism can also be found in the film and are instructive to not just cycling, but life. Waking up every day in a fictional Punxsutawney, Pennsylvania, sitting on a bike seat or a cushion cross-legged are all optional.

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