The Myth of Sisyphus

​I remember very little of Greek mythology, but I do recall the Myth of Sisyphus. Known as "the most cunning of men," Sisyphus cheated death twice. Upon his final death, he received eternal punishment -- to repeatedly engage in a meaningless task with no hope of completion. He had to roll a boulder up a hill and once he got it to the top, unable to permanently keep it there, it would roll back down for him to start the process anew. 

We so often fixate on the frustration with and suffering from lack of progress, that we overlook the power of reprieve. Each time that the boulder rolled back down, he descended the hillside no longer burdened by its weight. He found pleasure in the absence of it. Maybe it was muscle memory, maybe it was sheer determination or spite, but as he progressed on his repetitive journey, he found that each resting period reinvigorated him, making him more predetermined and hopeful than the last.