Day 48
“The world is full of obvious things which nobody by any chance observes.” 
(Sherlock Holmes is quoted as saying this in Alexandra Horowitz’s Book “ A Walker’s Guide to the Art of Observation 

Walking long distances gives one the opportunity to ponder and observe. It opens one’s senses to the world. And hopefully one’s heart to others. This is not necessarily always the case either in the camino or in real life. 
“The world is full of obvious things which nobody by any chance observes.” 
While walking the camino you encounter all sorts of different people just like you do in life. I’ll just mention a few: 

There are some people who are trying to meet a deadline so they put their head down and walk 40-50 kms/24-31 miles a day with few breaks, very little conversation, no real community. That’s not true for all walking this pace but for many of them. 

There are some who are struggling, with issues, or health, or blisters, or age, or knees, or something else, just struggling. Some of them put their head down and take. Are of themselves but a lot of them know the pain and struggle of life and see that in their fellow pilgrims. They look around and speak, share stories, remedies, help and hope. 

There are some who learn as they go. They start the camino with great confidence and learn the challenges and opportunities; their sense come alive as they listen to nature, their fellow pilgrims and the spirit of the way. 

I believe that walking the camino you have to be be aware certainly following the arrows and shells that mark the way. But the way opens your senses to so much more. I also believe it can be true in our daily journeys when we open ourselves to joy and love and hope!

“The world is full of obvious things which nobody by any chance observes.”

Day 47
The Spirit of the Camino

 (This is good for each of us as we journey each day of our lives) 
Live in the Moment.
Welcome each day—its pleasures and its challenges. 

Make others feel welcome.

Share

Feel the Spirit of the those who have gone before you. 

Imagine those who will follow you.
Appreciate those who walk with you today. 

I’ve already talked about being present in the moment. But this “Spirit of the Camino” says so much more than just being present in the moment…it begins there…..helping one to settle into a rhythm and pattern and listen so as to welcome others, to share their experience so you can share yours. 

But also to realize that others have walked this way before you and others will walk this way after you. This applies to the Camino de Santiago but also to every where we walk and go in life. 

This morning we were sitting at the hotel waiting for our shuttle to take us to the airport in Madrid and then sat in the airport in Madrid waiting for our flights to take us to Italy. And it once again dawned on me that I was leaving Spain. I wasn’t sure I was ready to go; wasn’t sure I was ready for the camino to end; wasn’t sure…was looking forward to going to see friends in Italy; looking forward to seeing friends and family back home; will be so happy to see my puppy dogs…but there was a sense I was just unsettled…not living in the moment, not quite willing to welcome at that moment the pleasures and challenges of the day. 

 Before we had left our hotel a woman from Atlanta walked over and asked me about the shell on my backpack so I was able to share the story of the camino. Her 11 year old son’s soccer team is playing in a soccer tournament in San Sebastián. She wrote some information down about the Camino. While at the airport we visited with and saw several other pilgrims heading home. So again we moved into that transition stage. 
And then a man came and plopped himself down across from us. This man looked a bit frazzled, wearied from traveling perhaps. He was talking to himself at first and then I realized he was speaking to us. There was a language barrier for me but Lindsay understood that he was having trouble connecting to the wifi. She tried to help but to no avail. And yet he was grateful, still frustrated but grateful. 
 “Appreciate those who walk with you today”
Because we are all on a journey…and we may not be ready for all the pleasures and challenges but they will come so the question is there for all of us…
…how will I welcome the pleasures and challenges that this day has to offer me and at the same time make others feel welcome? That’s quite a challenge in itself. 

May you have courage! Buen Camino!

Day 46
If God sends you down a stony path, may God give you strong shoes. 
May the nourishment of the earth be yours, 

May the clarity of light be yours,
May the fluency of the ocean be yours,
May the protections of the ancestors be yours. 

May green be the grass you walk on, 

May blue be the skies above you,
May pure be the joys that surround you, May true be the hearts that love you. 
Celtic Blessings for walking—Faith and Worship 

We all know in life that there are going to be stony paths, or speed bumps in our way, or difficult days…may God give us strong shoes, brakes and the ability to use them, great courage and the help to face them. 
I’ve already mentioned my love for Celtic blessings and wisdom. It is always clear and direct. It doesn’t beat around the bush but rather addresses everyday issues with every day solutions. “If you are walking on a stony path may you have strong shoes”.

All too often we want “miracles” in life without realizing that the “miracles” are provided right in front of us without some intense, cosmic intervention, but more like a quiet interruption, or a gentle reminder of what we are capable of and have at our own disposal. 

“If God sends you down a stony path, may God give you strong shoes.”

May you find the strength and courage to walk on the stony paths, deal with the troubles of the day, and find peace and joy today and tomorrow! 

Buen Camino! 

Day 45
May you travel in an awakened way, Gathered wisely into your inner ground; That you may not waste the invitations Which wait along the way to transform you. 
May you travel safely, arrive refreshed, 

And live your time away to its fullest; Return home more enriched, and free

To balance the gift of days which call you. 
For the Traveler—John O’Donohue 

How many of us take trips…vacations, holidays and return home more exhausted than when we left with the comments “I need a vacation in order to get over my vacation”. 

John O’Donahue’s words are profound for all travelers.  

“May you travel safely, arrive refreshed, And live your time away to its fullest; Return home more enriched, and free

To balance the gift of days which call you.”

This is a great question: how best do we live our time away to the fullest so that we can return home more enriched and free to balance the gift of days that call us? Well my most simplistic answer and advice is to be present in the moment. That means not to be overly worried about the future and not to be burdened by the past. I realize this is not as easy as it sounds on paper. And there are many lessons that I have learned from the camino about this but for the sake of time and this blog I will only mention a couple. 

One of the lessons of the camino is to walk with less stuff so that you are not overly burdened…you can only carry so much while walking 10-20 miles/6-33 kms a day over various terrain (mountains, meseta, rain, heat, cold); it wears on your body. Likewise the concern of what is happening next in one’s day, where you will stay, when you will get there causes much anxiety and worry. The same is true in our daily walks of life…the more we are burdened with the worries and concerns the more it weighs heavy on us physically, emotionally, spiritually…and will make us ill. 

The other is to begin to let go of the past. Again this is partly not carrying as much baggage with you. But it more than that: it is letting go of hurts, pain, problems, especially those of which you have no control. It is the challenge of releasing and not spending as much time looking back but enjoying where you are at the moment. 

Oh to be sure it is important to get certain places in life and look…look off into the horizon and see what lies ahead…and even glance back…but it is so important and imperative to move on and live in the present. 

On the camino we would do this…especially looking back…to reach the top of a hill and take a moment to glance back and see where you have been…but never to wallow in it…never to linger too long…but rather look out on the horizon and see where you are going…but still only a glance…so you do not get overwhelmed. 

“May you travel in an awakened way, Gathered wisely into your inner ground; That you may not waste the invitations Which wait along the way to transform you.”

Buen Camino for all your journeys