Day 24 - My day of giving thanks

"Gratitude unlocks the fullness of life. It turns what we have into enough, and more." - Melody Beattie

Day 24 - Trabadelo - day of giving back

Today was a great day of giving back, friendship and gratitude. Perfect for Thanksgiving Day. And I have so much to be thankful for, this year.

*I am thankful for the love and support that surrounds me from friends and family.
* I am thankful I have a job I enjoy and that I work with a great team of people.
* I am thankful for my good health.
* And this year specifically, I am thankful for the ability to travel once again.

The Camino had been calling me for over 1.5 years. I don’t know why, but I knew I had to do it. The last 3.5 weeks have been some of the most physically demanding and emotionally challenging weeks of my life. I’ve wanted to quit. I’ve wanted to go home. But, I’m still here. I’ve taken three buses, gotten a lift from an albergue owner, taken a train and had my pack transported. I have not walked every step of The Way, but have instead done The Way MY way. It’s not perfect but nor am I.

Yesterday and today though have been my 2 best days so far. I had a great walk yesterday and landed at a fabulous Albergue - Casa Susi. The one place on my list that I wasn’t going to miss. It is everything I needed, and more. Never have I been treated so well when I travelled. Susi and Fermin welcomed me like an old friend and have since treated me as family. The love and effort they put into this albergue shows in every aspect from the accommodation to the food, the communal meal to the beautiful gardens. The place radiates love and acceptance.

It has been my honour today to be able to give back to this Camino experience and help a bit in the Albergue and gardens - stripping beds, putting dishes and breakfast items away, picking some of the last of the seasons tomatoes, weeding, etc. I have shared meals with other pilgrims at the communal dinner table and shared a meal with Susi and Fermin themselves, in their home. They can not know how much that meant to me, today of all days. Canadian Thanksgiving. And holy smokes, the food. I am thankful for such fresh and bountiful food at Casa Susi’s table!

I’ve also taken time to relax - really relax for a change. And it feels good. My mind has stilled. I have stopped beating myself up about the parts of this Camino I can not do and am instead focussing on what I can do - and have done. All the different experiences that the more traditional pilgrims won’t get because they are so focussed on marching on to Santiago. I have literally stopped a lot to smell the roses. There are a LOT of roses here! My last couple of days here has added an element to my Camino experience that I am truly grateful for and one that won’t be forgotten.

I am looking forward to the next few days and the new experiences they too will bring! Once I get to Sarria (the 100km mark of the Camino and the last place you can start from and earn your Compostela), it will be a whole new Camino. It gets a bit crazy after that. So, I will enjoy the next few days in the relative peace of my Camino’s shorter days and stopping to smell the roses while they are still blooming.Read more