Eileen Joll

This is a work in process but a collection of thoughts to date. They are in no specific order.

-- People are with us for a season

I encountered many people on the Camino.  Some meetings were no more than a "where are you from?" and we passed on.  Others I came to know a bit more about:  their name, whether they had done any previous caminos, but, again, we were soon parted.  Then there were those we spent several days with: not entire days but we would walk together some, share cafe breaks with, and eat dinner with.  However, soon our paths would part, usually because one of us would walk a longer day and we would become separated.  Those are the people I would think about:  "I wonder where are Lisbeth and Connie (or Dan and Heather) are now?"

This caused me to reflect on my life and the thousands of people I have encountered on my journey through it.  People come and go throughout our lives.  Some make a big impression on us and we will always remember them.  Others, we don't even know their name.  Regardless, we are all on our own journeys and will part ways at some point.

-- We choose what we pack

As I traveled the Camino, I saw people with all sizes of packs. Some were so small, it caused me to think "They must have sent their pack on ahead and this is just their day pack.".

As we traveled on, I realized I had things that I didn't really need but I didn't want to just leave them behind. I would rather travel with a heavier load "just in case", even if that meant I had to bear a heavier load and work harder with every step.

This caused me to reflect a on my life: how much baggage have I carried that served no purpose other than to make the load heavier. How much "stuff" do I have for that "just in case" or "maybe someday" situation. How much easier would life be if I ditched all of the things I carry that have no utility.

We all have burdens that we have to carry that might not be of our own choosing but how much do we carry that we could jettison that would "lighten our pack" and make our journey easier? This is a question I need to regularly ask myself.

-- It's not a race or competition

I typically have a very competitive mindset and I had to work at this on the Camino. I would see people moving faster and feel like I was falling behind. I needed to remind myself that I wasn't competing - we are all traveling at our own pace and there isn't any prize or benefit in being first. In fact, there really can't be a "first".

This is something I want to keep in mind when the Camino ends and life continues. Although I am at a point in life where competition is not as important, it is still something I want to be mindful of. "Competition" might take the
form of possessions or experiences (like trips). In any case, I will be happier just moving though life at my place and not trying to complete with anyone else.

-- Enjoy the moment

Why would it be that the last leg of a daily journey be the hardest, no matter how far being traveled that day? It seemed this was the case almost every day for me on the Camino.

As I pondered this, I came to realize it was because I wanted to be somewhere else at that point ("done", wherever that was) and I wasn't enjoying the moment where I was.

How much suffering have I inflicted on myself throughout life by wanting to be somewhere else, wanting to be "done" or wanting to be starting something different -- rather than just being present where I was. How much pain caused bywishing I had this or had done that?

I need to constantly remind myself to be present in the moment, wherever I am, in whatever situation I find myself - and not living in the future or the past.

-- Sun and clouds

As I journeyed on my Camino, I realized that what I thought I wanted and what would be best might not be the same. Easy enough to understand wanting sunny skies and no rain. Well, I soon changed my tune and became disappointed when the forecasts of cloudy skies were wrong and all we had was sun. When rain was forecast and we only had a light sprinkle. I soon wanted cloudy or rainy days and all we had was sun! The blessing was to be found in the clouds and rain - it made the journey easier.

All too often throughout life, I have thought I had known what I wanted or what would be best only to learn otherwise. The weather on the Camino served as a good reminder: there are blessings to be found everywhere, even when it isn't what our wishes or plans hoped for.

-- Getting started

As with so many things in life, getting started tended to be the hardest. And that was all in my head. Once I put my pack on and took my first steps, the "getting started" burden was lifted and the steps came easy.

This certainly isn't a new realization for me but it serves as a great reminder for any task or goal that i need to tackle: just take the first step and get started, the rest gets easier.

-- Eat, drink and be merry

There were a number of things that made the first days on the Camino hard. Of course, the distances were longer than I was used to and it was hot. But beyond that, I wasn't eating and drinking enough (and that is hard for me to believe, especially the eating part). Once I realized I needed to do a better job of fueling my body, the journey got easier.

The other thingi discovered is that by taking time to rest (and this could be combined with eating and drinking) my day became easier, but not longer because i was able to perform better.

I have always believed in the importance of vacations and getting away from the day to day routine. However, I have not done such a good job of taking the time to relax and spend time with people on a day to day basis -- under the guise of being to busy. While I may be at a point in life where I can't legitimately use the "too busy" line, I think i need to be conscious of this and make a better effort of taking time to rest in the company of others.

-- All journeys must end

The end of my camino created a mixture of feelings. On one hand, it was good to have achieved the goal and to be done. On the other, I really liked the daily rhythm of the Camino: a fixed routine, ticking off the miles as we walked and the days as we progressed.

All of our life journeys end at some point. Sometimes we choose the ending and other times it is chosen for us. The end of a journey can bring a wide range off emotions: happiness, relief, sadness, grief...... And many times it is a combination.

We are all on a number of smaller treks that make up our life journey. Each of these treks will end at some point, as will our earthly life journey. There is nothing we can do to change that.

Enjoy the journeys, move toward your goals, and cherish the people you meet along the Way.Read more