One of the first things I was reminded on this Camino is that everyone’s Camino looks different. The phrase that many of us use when someone comments that they were told how they were doing the Camino was not a “real Camino”. To be sure there are Camino purists out there. And to be honest I can slip into that “judgement” mode and I try to slip out of it as quickly as possible.

People walk for a variety of reasons. Some people have limited time. Injuries happen. Covid changed the Camino, accommodations were more difficult to come by and booking ahead for some people gave them peace of mind. Many people like to get up in the early morning and walk in the dark and quiet. Some walk fast, some walk slow…

 

Along the way you meet people who give you lots of advice, mostly based on their own experience. The advice often comes across as judgement and criticism. I have met people who felt like their Camino didn’t count because of the way they chose or needed to walk it based on other peoples’ criticism. One of the important things to remember when walking the Camino is “it’s your Camino”.

And this, for me, translates into life. So many of us feel like we have failed or that our lives, careers, choices are less because we compare them to what others are doing. Or we listen to the advice and criticism of what others say. The truth is “it’s your life”. Saying that, it is my life, it is your life, and we do have a responsibility to follow laws, consider others, and live responsibly in community.

My take away is walking the Camino is about community and is also very personal. Life is also about community and is also very personal. Are you living someone else’s life or really enjoying your own journey?

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