When you’re flying on the wind of the spirit, how do you measure progress?

As the seagull flies into the wind, it gains little ground. It moves motionless in the air, flapping its wings in an apparently futile effort to move ahead.

But, it’s that very feat, hovering in the air, that caused me to pause and ponder.

The feat itself would be impossible without the wind the seagull struggles against. The air flowing rapidly over and under its wings allows the graceful bird to dip and rise almost at will.

How do you measure the seagull’s progress? By the distance it covers or by the wind that passes it by?