Today was a lovely day of walking, the sun was shining, there was a nice breeze and the walking was very easy, okay some steep climbs but not too bad. 

We met a mom and daughter today. Janie (mom) lives in Florida and Erica (daughter) lives in Australia. We had a nice conversation coming into Navarette. In Navarette we re-connected with Marty and Liza, from Connecticut. We met them in line to get credentials and direction at the Pilgrim Office in SJPdP. We have seen them off and on almost every day. Each time we meet we get a little better acquainted. 

One of my favorite parts of the Camino is how quickly you get to know people. Or maybe a better way to say it is you move past small talk and dive right into deep conversations with people you meet. It just doesn’t seem to happen in everyday life. But on camino you can meet someone and know their greatest heartache in a few kms of walking. 

Being vulnerable seems to be a very big piece of the Camino. There is so much shared pain, it may be not the exact shared pain, blisters vs knee pain but still pain that we recognize and don’t hide. And despite Brene Brown encouraging us to be vulnerable in everyday life we avoid it attempting to hide our hurts and pains. 

Healing happens on the Camino. Maybe not physically but definitely mentally and emotionally. With each step you walk towards something that allows you to let go and feel alive again. 

We went for an early dinner tonight because one of our favorite places serves all day. We met more pilgrims, one from The Netherlands and one from Czech Republic, he works for a company that has a really good app for Caminos. We also met Eva from Sweden. We had a really nice conversation with her. We had a great dinner. And got a photo with the owner. Such a nice day. 

Oh you are wondering about the title…so many bicycles today came right on us, no bells, no warnings. I have to say it’s a bit terrifying when you are carrying a pack going down hill and a bike is on your heels. It’s challenging to think fast enough which direction to move. Oh well all part of the fun challenge. Hope you are having a great day. Buen Camino! 😘

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