14.3 miles with overcast skies, cool and comfortable walking weather. Whoever is praying for us, your prayers are being answered! Clean shirt/dirty shirt routine is complete, and we are napping and relaxing after a delicious paella lunch.
My thoughts while walking today revolved around “Camino as metaphor for life.”
The first part of the Camino felt like an obstacle course. Every 10 minutes we were facing new terrain and new challenges. We never knew what was around the next corner. Some hills seemed absolutely insurmountable. Downhills that you thought would be easy were surprisingly difficult.
Now it looks like a long, long ribbon that stretches out before us and disappears over a distant hill. We can’t see the end, but we know we have no choice. We have to keep walking, and we can and will make it!
Sometimes the Camino gets very, very messy! Never have I been so muddy and dirty! Even still, we are amazed with the beauty around us.
We are comforted that we are surrounded by people who carry the same burdens. There is no one who can escape the sore feet. What carries us is the charity and hospitality between the pilgrims and the generosity of the Spanish people who support us. Love makes everything easier, right?
And sometimes we have encountered people that were not so nice! We’ve learned that we need to trust those inspirations that come to us and follow our “gut” reactions. They’re usually right!
Sometimes we lose our way! Today we lost sight of the yellow arrows that say, “This is the way!” and went about 1/2 mile in the wrong direction! The journey back seems twice as hard. Searching and finding these arrows feels a little like a treasure hunt! When we take our eyes off the guide, everything is “off.” We long for that reassurance that we are in the right path.
We are not doing everything perfectly. We are constantly learning lessons. After all the planning, I have lost a few things! And by golly, I discovered that they were not that important in the first place!
Yes, I have heard that there is the Camino that you walk, and the Camino that you live.
