The Camino Experience: Reflections from the Trail

A Pilgrim’s Thoughts….

ONWARD TO SANTIAGO de COMPOSTELA.

It is difficult to find the words and time that describe the trail we are on. It has been a fascinating dive into the magic of Portugal. This is a country I had never traveled to. As I walk the Camino Portuguese, the mystery seep and oozes from the ancient cobblestone roads and the Roman built walls. The countryside is full of lush vineyards and three-meter-high cornstalks flush with ears listening to the gentle winds and the plodding footsteps of pilgrims. The footsteps are laced with blisters on the toes and souls of the tender but determined trekkers. It is but an instant in time we meet each other. It is a chance to breathe deeply from the eucalyptus forests that line the trail.

As a traveler walks the ancient path of St. James thoughts of every imaginable circumstance flood by. One thinks of family, both the good and the bad times. Each family has experienced joyful elation and bitter disagreements and of losses that linger for a lifetime. But one sort out feelings. Each footstep offers an opportunity to change the tenuous feelings that grip the mind and soul. Every step loosens the tight hold of emotions that crave attention and beckon thoughtfulness. It is the magic and mystery of the Camino that will help find peace within oneself, and peace with others. It is time well spent with personal depths of life. The arduous climbs into the mountain passes, sends the pilgrim down to the next lush valley of red and white grapes being harvested by the families for traditional wines giving moments of pause. Families working together for a common good and continuing engrained aged traditions. Traditions that inspire moments of personal reflection of gratitude for family. A sense of gratitude some desperately need to acknowledge.

The way is an extremely personal journey. One must have the desire and fortitude to overcome the challenges that are put upon a traveler. One must accept the company of pilgrims that vary from the young to the old, women and men, and a mix of internationals from every imaginable country. But the people of the Portugal Camino are the true magic of this journey as are the pilgrims. As one walks the time worn trails, they are confronted with metaphors of life, the hard roads we cannot escape but rather challenge our character. We talk to strangers in broken tongues of foreign languages seeking answers to the mysteries of life. We look to others for wisdom and inspiration to guide our steps. We seek solace for our pains and our fears. A simple small herd of sheep, showing the simplicity of their lives, gives us momentum for our own simplicity. The reflection in a pool of clear water begs for a deeper connection to our own world and our own journey. The fountains of clear water, appearing at the most needed times, give life and for that a chance to reflect on gratitude for such precious and simple things. And then we continue walking.

It is not about the things that bring joy but rather the joy of being loved by others. It is the journey and the destination that bring us happiness. It is the effort to go into uncharted territories of the soul and seek that powerful connection to humanity lacking in everyday life. The trail provides connection to oneself and perhaps too many others but only momentarily. The time is fleeting and the relationships brief.

And then it happens. The unexpected connection through resting. A certain group of pilgrims will collide in an impromptu concert and cook a meal together, dine on the cacophony of energies orchestrating an experience of laughter, friendship and chance relationships. Stories of their walks, where they started, why they came to walk, what they should not have brought with them, what they have forgotten, who they left to who left them and why. Truth floats through the words and experiences, wanting to be heard and appreciated. Some are searching for lost love and some for love never found. The journey will change some lives forever, and some lives will never be saved. The reticent emotions of pretending to know more than they know drive some to madness. They fool only themselves. But the momentary connection provides for wonderment of the commonality of humankind embedded in us all…and we continue to walk. The pace is our own.