“Life is like riding a bicycle. To keep your balance you must keep moving.” (Albert Einstein)
On February 5, 1930, the
famous physicist, Albert Einstein, wrote a letter to his son, Eduard, who
included the above simile (in German). The translation from German to English
actually came out like this: “It is the same with people as it is with riding a bike. Only when moving
can one comfortably [maintains] one’s balance.” To
me, the main emphasis of this quote is to always be flexible in life with
whatever challenges that come your way. When your life is stagnant to change,
you are emotionally dead as a person.
Today the above simile of
“like riding a bike” means that once
a particular skill is learned. It is never forgotten. In my life, I have
multiple examples of this. When I had brain surgery (at the age of 46) to
diagnose the type of cancer I had, in-house physical therapy was done to teach
me how to walk again, shower successfully, and use kitchen appliances and
utensils. My working memory reminded me I had done these before (so I
re-learned them rather quickly).
When I eventually started driving again, what I knew from before took
over. When I started this blog in 2014, I had no idea how to go about it until
I got to what you see today. My knowledge of the Internet (and my wife’s help)
carried me into making ENCOURAGE Me the ministry I always hoped it would be. The CPAP (Continuous
Positive Airway Pressure) machine I use for my sleep apnea at night has been
my constant companion since the 1990s. My lungs have become so used to it that
my body knows automatically how to breathe with it once the mask is on my face.
Think about examples from your own life that fit this simile. What are they?
Southern Gospel Songwriter, Gloria Gaither, had this to say about
memories: “Memories, important yesterdays, were once today’s. Treasure and notice [them] today.” It is so important to enjoy (and value) life while
you can live it with those you love. Those special moments you are
creating right now will soon be your past. If your memory of your past is poor,
get a notebook and right down all you can remember. Ask others for their memory
of what you are writing down, and include that in your journal too. Begin today
on a regular basis to write down for your descendants how your life was at this
time in the world. Live with no regrets. [i]
[i] Sources used:
·
“CPAP”
by Free Dictionary by Farlex
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