Wednesday, October 13, 2021

Bicycling with Butterflies

 

 


  

    Imagine yourself bicycling thousands of miles to follow the migration of monarch butterflies. This may sound like an imaginary story, but it is not. Sara Dykman made it a reality. She rode 10,201 miles on a simple bike, along with a tent and all the necessary tools to survive and thrive.

    Not only did she survive the experience, but she also wrote a book about it: Bicycling with Butterflies. In her travels, Sara came across the best and the worst of humanity, and she deepened her knowledge about the plight of monarch butterflies.

    Sara Dykman is a scientist, an artist, an educator whose compassionate nature and intelligence captivate the reader on every single page. Her flair for adventure and her writing skills make it unique and original. I found myself re-reading many of her sentences; the beauty of her style enlightens us and kindles hope and creativity.

   It is rare to find a book that combines adventures with facts and inspiration. Bicycling with butterflies does just that; it invites the mind to a journey of infinite possibilities.

   It is not easy to make a long-distance trip on a bike. The system is not designed to support cyclists. However, her grace and resilience always shine amid the darkest challenges.

 Her charm, kindness and sensitivity inspire us to make our world better in every way.

 I will share a quote to simply introduce you to the wonders of this book:

“In my sleeping bag, in my tent, in the forest, in the darkness, with the heartbeat of the planet reassuring me, I thought of the monarchs. They, too, persist, even when we cannot see them. They, too, will come like spring floods, cavort like rainbows in the mist, and leave with the cold for as long as we permit them their home. Migrants, wanderers, travelers, nomads – the monarchs make their home for better or for worse, wherever they find themselves. Yet they, like most creatures (including humans), find themselves most at home when a welcome is extended: the sweet nectar of a flower, the green of a leaf, the promise of water. A smile, a wave, a garden.”

  Sara Dykman is the founder of  https://www.beyondabook.org/, which fosters lifelong learners, boundary pushers, explorers and stewards. She works in amphibian research and as an outdoor educator, guiding young people into nature so they can delight in its complicated brilliance.