The Camino de Santiago is a pilgrimage,
and nearly every Spanish person I've spoken to
feels that way.
Though some folks may argue
the Camino was there
long before the Christians embraced it,
we are not in the past.
We are in the present.
And today,
the Way is meant to be a way of penance
Not easy.
Not comfortable.
In other words, you are expected to suffer.
Pilgrimage: A religious journey; a holy expedition
Penance: Voluntary punishment, self-inflicted, as an outward expression of repentance for having done wrong.
Whether you are Catholic or not,
whether you believe in God or not,
the fact is
you are walking a pilgrimage,
and very little convenience,
as well as EVERY little convenience,
is to be thought of as a blessing.
Every inconvenience
is to be expected.
So, if you find there are no shower curtains
on the doors,
or if the food is not good,
or costs too much,
or if you get blisters, shin splints, a sore back,
or even bedbugs,
don't be surprised.
Every challenge is a test
of your fortitude,
and your gratitude.
Be grateful for a roof over your head at night,
for a bed to sleep on,
or even a nice mat on the floor!
Be grateful for a toilet in a bar,
and buy something to show your gratitude.
Be grateful for the stale bread and jam
in the sleepy morning,
and the cold coffee
that will give your body the energy to walk.
Be grateful for the rising sun,
the glorious colors reflected on the water,
the smell of the dew,
the rushing brooks,
the stork nests high above you,
the morning songbirds,
and the croaking frogs.
Be grateful for the lack of electric outlets
to plug in your distracting devices,
as it will give you the opportunity
to connect with fellow human beings,
something we've forgotten.
In fact, be grateful for no electricity at all
at sacred places like San Anton
or San Nicholas,
where you get the best meal,
the best view of the Milky Way,
and the best night's sleep
you've had in years.
Be grateful for the comfort of
the snoring pilgrim in the bed next to yours.
Be very grateful for a shower,
to wash off the sweat and the dust of the day,
and be grateful whether the water
is hot or cold,
and whether or not there is a curtain.
Be grateful for cool, fresh spring water to drink
from the fountains in every village.
Be grateful for the amazing support
you will receive
all along The Way,
for the bars where you can get a cold drink
and a free tapa to sustain you,
for the local people
who have so much patience with you,
who allow you to dirty their countryside
with your used toilet paper,
to leave graffiti on their sacred rocks,
and national treasures,
who will point the direction when you are lost,
who will feed you when you are hungry,
who will dress your wounds when you are injured,
and give you cold water when you are thirsty.
Be grateful you have legs to walk,
feet to carry you,
shoes on your feet,
and be especially grateful
when you notice some walk The Way
barefoot and silent
Be grateful for ears to hear
the morning choir
that travels around and sings to the pilgrims
in the springtime,
their voices sweet and pure,
the harmonies lifting your soul.
Be grateful for a nose to smell the rain,
that same rain that is making the trail so muddy,
and to smell the sweat of that pilgrim next to you.
Be grateful for eyes to see
the beauty of the landscape,
much unchanged for hundreds of years,
the whitewashed buildings,
the crumbling buildings,
the restored buildings,
the rolling velvet hills,
the red fields of poppies,
the waving oceans of wheat,
and the twinkle in the eyes
of the abuelas who offer you
their ripe cerezas and figs.
Be grateful for the grouchy priest
who refuses to give you a blanket when it is cold
because he believes you still have not
suffered enough!
Be grateful for the nun
who stamps your credential,
and sings you songs of blessing
as you sit around with other wanderers
and feel true joy
for maybe the first time you can remember.
Be grateful for the pilgrim plates
that feel so redundant after the first week,
the plates of pasta,
the jars of wine,
the baskets of bread,
the ensaladas covered in fresh tuna.
Be grateful for the Pilgrim Blessing
you receive at Roncesvalles
or Viana
or Tosantos
and even if you are not Catholic,
be grateful
and be touched by the sincerity
of those wishing you so much goodness.
Be grateful for a bar of soap to wash your clothes,
and for clean underwear,
for a line to hang your clothes in the sunshine,
or inside if it's raining.
Be grateful for those who entertain us
with their guitars, their drums, their didgeridoos,
and their voices,
even singing off-key as they walk.
Be grateful for family style dinners,
nearly extinct in our busy modern world.
Be grateful for no wifi,
and ANOTHER chance to bury your iPhone
in your pocket,
and another few moments of
face to face conversation
with a fellow human being.
Be grateful for the smell of cow shit!
It is the reason for the
luscious café con leche you drink each morning,
and the beefsteak on your plate at night.
Be grateful for the tinkling of bells in the fog,
and for the herds of sheep that block your path,
for they provide the cheese in your pack.
Be grateful even for the flies,
because they clear the path of the manure over time.
Be grateful for those blisters on your heel.
They are your body telling you to take better care
of your feet, and not to take them for granted.
Be grateful for the selflessness shown
by a young pilgrim
offering the bottom bunk
to an elder with grey hair
and aching bones.
Be grateful for the sun on your back,
the rain on your face,
the wind that buffets you,
the snow that forces you inside
to sit around a warm fire
and again enjoy the company
of new-found friends.
Be grateful for the taxis and buses
that will carry you from one village to the next
when you have walked all day
only to find a sign on the door saying, "Completo!"
Be grateful for the kind hospitalera
who will put her arms around you
and comfort you
when tears of exhaustion
overtake you,
or the pharmacist
who will wash and dress your wounds,
or the pilgrim who will massage and care
for your weary, blistered feet.
Be grateful for a doorway you can sleep in,
the doorway of a church,
an abandoned building,
a park bench...
Be grateful for your heavy mochila,
and the lesson to lighten your burden
not only on the Camino,
but in life.
Be grateful that you are learning
what is REALLY important
and what is not.
And lastly,
be grateful for those who complain...
about the lack,
about their needs being unmet,
about the dirty sheets,
and no blankets,
and bedbugs,
and the food not being cooked their way,
about having to wait in line,
having to rush for a bed,
having to share bathrooms,
no mirror,
no towels,
no pillow,
no shower curtain,
about their fellow pilgrims,
about the guy not carrying his backpack,
or the girl jabbering on her phone,
or the old people walking too slow,
or the rocky path,
the muddy path,
the fog,
the fire crackers at night,
the borachos downstairs,
the lack of porta potties on the path,
the slow service,
the lack of English (in a Spanish speaking country)
the lack of nut-free, lacto-free, gluten-free, meat free meals,
open windows in the albergue,
closed windows in the albergue,
having to climb up on a bunkbed,
about another book being written,
or another video being made,
or the crowds,
or no bed tonight,
or (fill in the blank).
Be grateful you can smile at them,
let their complaints roll off your back,
count your blessings,
and continue on The Way
with a song in your head
and gratitude in your heart.
Be grateful.
Love Annie
