A Brief Personal Reflection

Although the word Camino is most commonly applied to the walk from the Pyrenees to Santiago in northern Spain, it really is just a name for a walk, path or journey. In early times, every pilgrim began their journey from their own front door and then made their way to the Cathedral at Santiago. Now that our own version of the Camino is half over I thought it might be time to share some of my personal reflections.

As we have made our way along the walking paths that have been trodden by untold multitudes before us, we have also had opportunity to observe those who are also making the journey with us. I found it fascinating to see how their journeys differed.

For some it seems to be all about reaching the destination in the briefest possible time. These walkers can be identified easily because they stride along, barely looking from side to side, seldom talking to their fellow pilgrims. They have an urgency in their step and no wish to be delayed along the way.

I also saw many that were obviously doing it hard. For them the journey involves pain, sacrifice and perseverance. Each step is a battle towards their final goal. Although it would be easy for them to give up, they seem to be driven by a long term aim to reach their final destination.

Others walk at a slower pace and obviously take time to look around, to chat with their fellow pilgrims, to make friends along the way. These are the ones for whom the journey itself is every bit as important as the destination. They are determined to soak every last experience from the walk and I suspect that they might even be a little disappointed when it finally comes to an end.

And I suppose there are also those who begin the Camino in a fit of enthusiasm and quickly lose interest. Perhaps it was harder than they expected, perhaps each day was hotter, steeper, longer than they were prepared for and they become discouraged. I suspect that the journey to Santiago is liberally littered with walkers who cease their journeys without reaching their original goal.

As I thought about these things it seemed that we are all partakers of our own personal Caminos through life. Perhaps the famous Camino is really just a metaphor for our passage through life. At the beginning of our lives we do not know how the story will unfold along the way. Each person must make their own life's journey, no one else can do it for them.

Some people charge through life, driven by ambition, power, money, fame or whatever, only to realise too late that they missed the most important things along the way. For others life can be a challenge almost every day. They may be plagued by illness, financial distress, relationship problems and the like, so that it seems like a continual uphill battle. And of course there are others who seem to always lack any sort of direction, who never have a driving passion and are constantly changing direction, seeking that elusive "something" that will give them meaning.

The older I have got, the more I have come to realise that our true riches in life are not money or things, they are friends and family. We were never meant to walk our Caminos alone, we are strengthened and enriched by love and shared experiences. Sometimes we share the journey with others for only a short time, while with others we may share our journeys for much longer or even a whole lifetime. Whatever the duration, our lives are built on these interpersonal connections. In the final analysis our lives are really the sum total of these experiences. They are what makes us who we are.

Enjoy your own journey.

Buen Camino !Read more