Ain't no mountain high enough

Remember when the old folks would talk about how far they had to walk, with no shoes, in ten feet of snow/rain/hail to get to school? Well, if I told you I had to walk up a mountain, would you believe me?

My commute is a 3 minute walk, up a mountain. Sometimes 4 minutes if I am dragging that morning. While I have my head down, breathing deeply, counting every painful step, the students race past me yelling "Hi, Teacher".

I cannot answer them until I catch my breath.

Once I get to the mountaintop, the view is so worth it.