Today I am grateful that I feel like I can still go on. I was told by more experienced people from the Camino that the first 2 days are the hardest before your body begins to get used to it.

 

These first two days were definitely hard, walking very long distances and getting some rest along the way.

 

I’ve learned to value the concept of “slow and steady” much more than ever before, since progress is still made, but sometimes at what seems like a snails pace.

 

I wonder how much of the meaning of walking on the camino I would have truly been able to enjoy if my knees didn’t ache, or my feet didn’t hurt or my pack was lighter etc etc. Any number of combinations that would have changed my walk completely.

 

Instead, I’ve had to slow down and focus on that exact moment step by step to be able to make it into my next resting area.

 

Having my mind focus on just the next step alone has been a powerful experience. One that I need to implement in everything I do in life. Just focus on this step, and then the next. And once I look back I would see the great distances that I have traveled and the impact to my life.

 

Along with these small steps, also came more stops. Often in life, just like in the Camino, we have a group of friends in which we are all walking “together” so it’s easy then to try and keep up the pace with each other (in our lives too)

 

The greatest realization we can have is that although we are all together, and ultimately headed in the same direction, our walk is meant to be our own, and we have to make the most of that. With that in mind, there was a period of the Camino when I decided to stop more and engage the many many people along the Camino offering a service or just looking to give a good word and conversation for my journey.

 

Among all of these stops, two were the most significant for me. One was a lady who spoke English and was cutting little red hearts and attaching a “message” to each one. Like a little motivational fortune cookie, each one was different. Once I spoke to her, she said I could pick one in English and that one would be meant just for me.

 

I did, and the caption read. “Dear Past, I am thankful for all of your lessons, Dear Future, I am ready.”

 

It is exactly what I needed to be reminded of and know as I close this chapter of my life and get ready for the next one. I will forever cherish that note and keep it with me for as long as I live.

 

The second interaction came by a little bit later, when walking through one of the many towns along the Camino. A gentlemen asked me if I wanted some free lemonade. I of course shouted “YES!” after which he mentioned that I would also receive a free hug. To which I replied “even better” with a happy face. I went inside this small place, and there it was, my lemonade waiting for me, and on days like today, on journeys like these, a glass of cold lemonade feels like fuel for the soul. As I got my passport stamp (something you do along the Camino) I saw a small basket that had little notes on there they created. Each of these notes had passages from the Bible, and the one I picked was about how God sent his only son Jesus to die for us because of how much he loved us. I am learning a lot more about what love means in this Camino. How much sacrifice it takes, patience, understanding and a steady (and many times) slow pace to make progress. I received this card and gift as it meant a lot to me. After, I went back outside, the people there were waiting and all of them gave me a hug, their energy refreshed my soul, and their hugs filled my heart. I will forever be grateful to them for that short but meaningful exchange in the Camino.

 

I continued onward and pushed ahead focusing on each step since it was now harder to move. I just knew I had to focus on making every step forward count and I would get to my final destination.

 

I am grateful for small steps