Two Rails

I haven't felt well today. A lot of general pain, fatigue, soreness. On days like this I find it helpful to look at old pictures and reminisce a bit about highlight moments of my life. I started noticing something this time. A lot of what I consider transcendent moments in my life were immediately preceded by or also included rather unpleasant aspects:

Fresh air with just a little bite to it. A muted wump wump wump of fat bike tires the only sound to be heard. Fresh powder clinging to tree branches. Peaceful solitude. 

I started the day fighting severe nausea and losing my breakfast. I felt horrible all morning and weak most of the day. 

Warm with a light mist of rain. 500 year old rice terraces as far as the eye can see. 

Getting here involved a 15 hour mostly overnight, chilly, smokey, bus ride. Followed by a difficult bike ride followed by more lack of sleep due to oppressive heat and humidity and no air conditioning. 

A cool day with cold biting gusts of wind. Fresh clean air. Roar of a waterfall. Expansive scenery. 

That morning I laid in bed for an hour and a half after waking up trying not to move so I wouldn't throw up. I felt horrible all morning and not terribly great for most of the hike to and from here.

Perfect temperature. Clear air. Clear sky. The longest, most spectacular sunset I've ever seen.

We were almost stranded with no place to stay in the middle of a sparsely populated fjord. A long shot phone call, last bus of the day, and a short hike later we got the last place available to stay. 

*Update - 7 Nov 2012*

Still feeling pretty horrible in the soreness and pain realm, but I've had a pretty good past two days. Some great mountain biking with friends old and new, a couple fun projects at work, and a new service opportunity that I'm pretty excited about. A quote from Rick Warren came to mind tonight. I don't remember when or where I first heard it:

"I used to think that life was hills and valleys – you go through a dark time, then you go to the mountaintop, back and forth. I don’t believe that anymore. Rather than life being hills and valleys, I believe that it’s kind of like two rails on a railroad track, and at all times you have something good and something bad in your life. No matter how good things are in your life, there is always something bad that needs to be worked on. And no matter how bad things are in your life, there is always something good you can thank God for."