While I was walking my Camino a friend said when I finished she wanted to know what my take-away(s) were. I thought that was a great request. So over the next few weeks I will share with you what some of those take-aways were. And it is interesting each time I look at pictures or have a conversations I realize that the take-aways keep coming.

Over the last year I made a commitment to stay “Camino Ready”. For me staying “Camino Ready” was physical and also emotional and spiritual readiness. It meant walking daily, adding more steps, walking with a pack and also being able to navigate change and unexpected obstacles. The most challenging part of preparing for this Camino is that the Netherlands is flat and the first day of the Camino is a climb of 1400 meters (approximately 4500 feet). So even though I was feeling strong I was concerned about that first day’s climb.

On that day I forgot that I was concerned. And I was feeling motivated. And with that we started out at a faster pace than what was wise. It didn’t seem like it was too fast because the start wasn’t that steep. And then all of the sudden it got really steep. The air was thick and the sharp incline got the better of me. I was overcome with nausea. I was humbled.

Along with the steep incline that first day there is also a steep decline. I took it slowly and made it. The word HUMILITY was in the front of my mind and on my heart.

Several days later I had another humbling experience when the weather was so hot that it made me sick again. We were 500 meters from where we were staying and I burst into tears. I thought at that moment “Why are you here? Why are you doing this again?”

It was a turning point for me. Once more I was humbled in the moment again.

The more I thought about HUMILITY as an attribute the more I realized that humility is a step towards joy and peace. Acknowledging your struggles and challenges is not a weakness, it is a strength. Confronting your struggles and challenges head on builds character and brings the process of healing. This translated into life also.

For me humility is about realizing your limitations and celebrating your strengths. Humility is about asking for help. Humility is about getting back up when you fall down and starting over again.

While on the Camino I discovered that for me humility leads to perseverance; perseverance leads to resilience; resilience leads to joy; joy leads to peace. Since I have been back home I have continued this simple journey from humility to peace. It is a daily take away for me.

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