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.

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?

I had planned to blog throughout my Camino like I have done in the past. Only I was not finding the time and it wasn’t bringing me joy to think about blogging while I was walking this time. After a week of feeling bad about not blogging I gave myself permission to write down themes, ask people if they had questions, and wait to reflect about my Camino once I had returned. This gave me permission and space. It allowed me to be present on the Camino. It allowed me breathing room.

 

I am excited about sharing my Camino journey with all of you. Please stayed tuned for my reflections in the coming months.

 

One of the things that I continue to learn with each Camino journey is that it is less about the destination and more about the journey itself. Once I reached Santiago de Compostella I wanted to keep going. The term used on the Camino is Ultreia which means “Onward”. 

 

I think this translates into life as well. That we have goals, intentions, things we want to accomplish. And often we find ourselves at that place of accomplishment and we want more. The journey does not end there.

 

Oh to be sure there is joy in reaching that goal, meeting that intention, finishing a project and it is important to stop, savor, enjoy what you have done. It is also important to take time to reflect on your learning.

 

And then ask yourself where do I go from here? Hopefully for you the answer will also be “Ultreia!” “Onward!”

So let me thank you all for the encouragement from yesterday. It was definitely a challenge. And today was so much better.

Oh don’t get me wrong it was still a most challenging day. I’m tired and sore and feel GREAT.

Today’s route had a lot of ups and downs. Some were pretty tough both going up and coming down. And yet for the most part it was okay. Especially when you could get to the top and see the next vista…and a most amazing view. so today was a remarkable day for Noël…he had his first blister ever. There will be a tribute following.

The ups and downs remind me so much of life. The climb up may be difficult and challenging and the climb down may be difficult and challenging. But what are you experiencing along the way? What are you learning? What are the hard lessons that make you stronger and more resilient? Today that’s what I focused on. The hard lessons of life. More to come on that.

I also mentioned in my video today that I saw purple flowers everywhere and growing in the most difficult places…stones, hard earth, grass, dirt. All I could think is many of us land in tough situations. And the idea is to grow, bloom, flourish where you are planted.

My other observation for today came as a surprise near the end of the day. Today we met a woman and her daughter riding bikes across Europe. They started in Eastern Germany and are now in Spain. The daughter is 5. And has a baby doll on the back of her bike which is attached to her mom’s bike. When they left this little stop there was a bag of money. I told Noël “oh no they left their coin bag.” So he went running. They turned back. The mom said it’s hers. It seems she is teaching her the hard lessons of life…responsibility and perseverance. Then we saw them later and they were headed down the hill into where we are staying and the little girl’s head was bobbing…she couldn’t stay awake.

I think this is a beautiful way to share the world with your child. She doesn’t start school until next year so mom is making the most of it. And who knows she may shift and do something else about school.

We ended the day at an Albergue in Cardeñuela Rio Pico called Santa Fe. It’s fabulous. Tomorrow is 14 kms into Burgos. See you then.