My Soul-o Camino

Mantras
Put one foot in front of the other. Step. Push. Breathe.
Quiet mind. Notice. Repeat.
I am grateful for what the Camino will provide.
Magic exists on the Camino.

Can we talk about the poncho pictures for a second? Right?? Lets acknowledge that I don’t look my best but more like Violet Beauregard! Ridiculous. And so fun to walk in the rain! Ok, we are done with the poncho talk and don’t ever bring it up again! 😂

Today I hiked 16 miles and it was tough. Really tough. We picked up another pilgrim completing his second Camino! He’s a lovely young Dutch man and fits in perfectly with our Camino family.

I had conversations with other pilgrims who shared personal stories and vulnerability along the way. The Camino is magical. It brings people together in ways where they can connect in such a short amount of time, without fear of judgement. “Buen Camino” we say over and over again as we pass other pilgrims. As I say this (8 times today) I am curious about their journey. Why are they walking? Are they healing? Are they in pain and escaping? Are they endurance seekers? Are they loved? Are they seeking self acceptance? Are they solving a problem? I wish I could talk to every single pilgrim.

Our dinner at the albergue was delicious and the conversation was joyous, until it wasn’t. One man accused another of perpetrating a micro aggression against him and the other apologized. But it didn’t end there. It escalated. It was raw, and full of pain for one man, and full of embarrassment and pride for the other. It was not easy to watch and as the tension and voices grew louder, an older pilgrim turned to me and whispered “Hey, we need a therapist.” Out of my own discomfort for myself and the others, I spoke up to ask one man to apologize to the other then to take their conversation away from the table. They agreed to end it and the rest of us carried on in an awkward way until the magic returned and once again we were lost in conversation and laughter.
Except it still feels gross. I’m sad for the man being harassed and hope he will be able to move forward in his journey without a heavy heart. Everything feels heavy on this journey. (Which reminds me, I plan to throw out like 3lbs of my pack tomorrow…it’s toooooo heavy!)

I. Am. Exhausted. I’m physically drained, and after the conflict at dinner, emotionally drained as well. I really like pushing my body and mind to their limits so I can make new limits the next day. Tomorrow is a shorter day of 10miles to PAMPLONA!

Buenos noches. Total miles so far: 31En savoir plus