Today we stopped for the second time in 10 kms. We ended up in a nice little albergue with a cafe, so we stopped in for a coffee for Noël and a Coke Zero for me. As we were sitting/resting we started up a conversation with an Irish couple, Michael and Mary. Michael shared with us that he had his ankle fused (I think that’s what he said.) anyway he looked to be in some pain. I asked if he was good to go on. And he replied, “of course. It’s a matter of resilience and madness.” And then chuckled. 

I would add into that mix adaptability. Michael walked the whole day in flip flops. He walked over stones and gravel all day and all the while had such a great attitude. 

I remember my first camino when I ended up in the hospital with blisters and had to rest several days and switch from boots/ shoes to my Chaco sandals. It was a matter of madness, resilience and adaptability. I had to take more rests, wear sandals, and walk shorter distances when possible. 

I believe there is something similar that happens in every day life. There are times, many times when things don’t go according to plan. And it is much easier if one can be agile. Sometimes this looks like madness to others while it looks like resilience to still others. 

If you aren’t quite to the madness and resilience place I encourage you to lean towards adaptability. 

The rest of the day we walked with Suzanne from New Zeeland and Tim from Notth Carolina. It was a good day. 

Hope you are well. Buen Camino. 

Many pilgrims lose things on the camino and interestingly find them again not always but sometimes. We have heard of pilgrims losing their sticks, passports, wallets. All of these were returned with no loss or damage. 

Those are the fortunate cases. There are other people who lose things and never get them back. Sometimes they are small things like leaving soap in the shower or a flipflop that falls out of a backpack. Occasionally people have something stolen but I haven’t heard of this only read about it on camino forums. 

Other things people lose and don’t re-find are things such as fear, lack of confidence, self doubt. When you walk for many kms through rough terrain you start believing in yourself, your fear lessens, your confidence grows. The realization that you are more capable than you can imagine is so liberating. You meet new people and form lasting friendships.

I know that I have experienced this each time I have gone on camino. The things you lose emotionally and mentally and spiritually are worth the loss. And when you lose these things you discover that you have room to find so much more. 

Some other photos from last night and today. we had a lovely dinner with new friends Hugh from Colorado and Pauline and Keith from Australia.

I hope you are well. Buen Camino!

I do not have the energy to write today. We had a great day.

We met Hugh from Colorado and connected with Pauline and Kieth from Australia. 

We had an amazing dinner together.

Enjoy. 

Today’s walk reminded me of home a bit. The line from the musical Oklahoma, “Oklahoma where the wind comes sweeping down the plain, and the waving wheat can sure smell sweet…” we even saw a hawk making circles in the sky, wouldn’t call it lazy because I think it was hunting. 

It was a very cool day today. The jackets stayed on all day because of the high winds. But the vistas were beautiful. Which is why there will be a bit of a photo dump. 

In 2021 Noël walked his first full Camino. He hated the Meseta which is where we are now. This is the part of the Camino that strengthens your mind. Last spring while walking he was dreading walking the Meseta and I told him he was in a totally different place than he was last time. He actually enjoyed it. This time he said, “the Meseta is really beautiful.” 

I felt like there was a double Meseta today. The Meseta engages your mind at a deep level, other than navigating the stones the way is not difficult to follow, so you ponder and think. You solve problems. And occasionally you talk to a fellow pilgrim. The wind was so loud today there was no opportunity to chat with anyone. It allowed you to engage more. 

Today was a beautiful day. Thank you for coming along. Buen Camino.