“I have learnt I am a people pleaser. I walked with a lady for two weeks, because I couldn’t tell her I wanted to walk alone. But then I told her one day and since then I have had the opportunity to have so many more special little conversations.” – David sharing what he has learnt about himself as a mature man with adult children.
I told David about the lady who had said she would walk with me the next day a couple of weeks ago. I shared his reluctance to hurt…but the next morning I had left a note by her boots saying I had left early and would see her at the albergue. As I explained to David, my daughter´s voice was running through my head as I wrote: “you don’t have to give a reason – just say it.” He reckons our daughters are very similar. Lucky us.
“I have learnt other people’s good ideas don’t need to be mine.” – Jack
Jack had walked with a couple of young girls who are doing a digital and alcohol detox as they walk across the meseta. He thought that sounded pretty noble and vowed to join their project. The digital bit was easy enough, because he doesn’t use social media at all. The alcohol bit was easy enough until after he had walked more than 40km and the sun had come out. The beer he ordered that afternoon was the best he has ever tasted. As someone who drinks only occasionally, he decided he really did not need to “detox” – there was nothing toxic about his current practice. And now when he hears a good idea, he will evaluate it more carefully before mindlessly adopting it for himself.
“I learnt I brought too much stuff. And as I sorted through it to work out what to send home/to a friend/to Santiago – or to give away, I realised I carry too much stuff in my off-camino life too.”
Some people when they have said that have been referring to literal actual physical stuff – and some are planning on going home to simplify. Others were being metaphorical, and are already working on reducing the load they are carrying.
“I have found peace here. I am recognising what it is about my everyday life that robs me of this peace, and I am going to pursue peace at home too.” – Alan
“I am learning that the growth I have done in my own life cannot be expected of others. We are all different. I’m realising even my own older brother may not value the same things that I do.” – C (someone with a much less common name, who may not wish to be identified)
“I am learning not to be so influenced by the panic around me. I am not booking beds, but when everyone talks about the scarcity, I start getting nervous. But I don’t want to. I want to be relaxed and not worry. And I want to carry that back to my other life too. I don’t want to be scared by the bad things in this world, politics, epidemics, climate change.” – Rachel
Every camino I have been on has had these deeper-than-surface-level conversations (not actual quotes above, but as faithful a summary as I can remember). They are one of the joys.
And some more of today’s joys were the blue sky and sunshine, flowers and (small patches of) forest.
Not that it was all picturesque. The whole way was alongside a fairly busy road. I was grateful to have missed even more of that yesterday by taking the Roman Road.
As I had started out this morning I almost missed a great monument. In fact I had walked right past this sign, thinking they must be proud of their tomatoes round here…
….before I realised it had been yarn-bombed. Clearly that required a closer look…
…and a selfie
I don’t do selfies too often, but today was an exception:
I even asked someone to take a photo of me. And not just any photo. I climbed up on a marker…in memory of the four youngest kids, who did exactly that in the same spot ten years ago
* note from above….when I looked at this picture this afternoon it reminded me of a lady I walked with last week. She had used a company to organise her trip and had been lumped together with five other solo ladies to form a group (which she wanted no part of). The other ladies had all been issued with guidebooks and bag tags before they left home, but this lady had been overlooked. Despite the fact that the error had occurred without anyone in the company ever setting eyes on her, this lady was convinced that she was the suffering the results of a bias because (and I quote – it was memorable!) “I am not blonde and do not have legs up to my eyeballs”. This morning’s picture gave me those legs!
Finally, some images that caught my eye alongside the path…I was looking for beauty in a stretch known to be not that pleasant.
…and one village that invites you off the path by promising a plaza covered in yellow dots signifying the stars we are following to Santiago de Compostela (field of stars)…who could resist that?
Relaxing afternoon:
And an expressive hostess
SoloWalk2024 