“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.
Of course cycling, and life, are quite different to the film, because it’s a fantasy time loop in which Bill Murrary is able to learn from his mistakes while trying to win the heart of the love interest Rita, played by Andie McDowell. It’s a subtly brilliant movie that’s a Buddhist meditation on the impermanence of life, a commentary on human mortality, the shortness of life and not regretting things, especially when it comes to treating people with kindness. So while the parallels are a stretch, there are lessons to be learned that apply to getting the girl or guy of your dreams, and bicycling.
Here are a few things that pertain to Groundhog Day, biking, and Buddhism off the top of my head:
- If at first you don’t succeed, try, try again. Phil’s day repeats over and over. He takes the opportunity to try to win over Rita and fails spectacularly time and time again. But eventually he learns. If you fail to meet a goal while cycling, stay calm, and get back on the horse (aka bike). It’s right there in the timeless axiom, “It’s like riding a bicycle.” There is suffering; maintain equanimity.
- Failure is fine if you learn from it. Related to the first lesson, messing up is inevitable, really. You’re going to fall off, or hit a pothole, get a flat, miss a turn, or ride without eating or drinking enough. It’s all part of the process. If you’re not failing in some way, you’re not biking much. Be humble.
- Do what you love without attachment to the results. While Phil certainly desires Rita (not terribly Buddhist), he ends up just acting out of love. I must love biking and my body to keep going, even though at times it feels exhausting. Love yourself and others; serve them without expecting reward.
- The journey is the destination. Maybe you’re training for a race, doing a charity ride, want to start to commute to work, or are trying to lose weight. It’s fine to have goals, but if you’re not appreciating the moments in between, you’re missing out. Be mindful and in the present moment.
- Every moment, and day, is new. Phil is open to new things. He learns to ice sculpt, among other things. Biking daily is like that: the same, but different, if you pay attention. Have a beginner’s mind.
- You don’t have to reinvent the wheel. There’s a path that others have taken before you. No need to get a map out and plot out a course; Strava has segments, Google Map has bike routes, and so on. As with Phil’s quest, there are ways to a woman’s heart. The truth is out there, though it’s still mysterious to this dude, but plenty of people have figured it out. There is the dharma.
- You’re not alone. If you’re looking for love you can read books (Phil studies French poets), join community groups, and dating sites. When biking, there are organizations, clubs, and bike shops. There is sangha.
I’ve started attending the latter, a meditation group. There is strength in being mindful and present and silent with others. While enlightenment, or getting the girl or guy, or making your monthly mileage goal (as I did, riding 510 miles in the 31 days in January) may not seem that related, and sharper minds could explain this better*, it seems to me that while much of life is repetition. But each moment is also totally unique. The call it the present because it’s a gift. And with that we get to choose how to meet them.
Some days, and moments, we won’t do well at all. But we get back on the horse, we restart the next chapter of our book, we try our best to love and be loved, we sit and spin our legs, or we just don’t do something, we sit there with it, with life, and meditate. Breathe in, breathe out. Perhaps when we awake in the morning, it may still well be winter in America, but with luck, it’s February 3rd. And we start again.
*Lest you think I’m the only one with this idea, or that I cribbed them from elsewhere, I only searched after I wrote this post. Here’s one nice article from The Buddha On Ice.
This post brought to you by Monty Python’s Department of Redundancy Department.
(I published a previous blog referencing Groundhog Day back on 2/3/2018. It was a bit abstract and stream of consciousness and attempted to be funny. I dare you to read it… but at your own risk.)
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