Last night Nancy asks me, “did you know that people are leaving comments on the blog posts”? I didn’t, actually. Not sure how to pin that on Amanda. Going to have to think about that.  She continued, “if would be nice if you could reply to a couple of them, especially if someone is asking you a question” … yes dear.
First a quick recap of today. Beautiful country between Villafranca,and O’Cebreiro. The only downside was that it was uphill, all 26km. Not kinda uphill, UPHILL. The first 16km were easily manageable and I maintained a decent pace. The last 10km would make someone who runs Warrior mudder’s happy, right before it beat them down like the Hulk did to Loki in “The Avengers”. My problem wasn’t having enough muscle to get through, my problem was walking at a pace that didn’t get me breathing so hard I thought I was going to puke and pass out. I had to slow my pace in order to maintain a steady breath, and for a while, I was lucky to average one to one and one-half miles per hour … kid you not.
As soon as I passed into Galicia, there it was, O’Cebreiro. Got it done again. True confession time. I did try to keep looking behind to see where I came from, but every time I stopped, I started to get light headed, and the only way to shake that was to start walking again. Nothing metaphysical here, I have the conditioning of mashed potatoes. Doesn’t matter, because I made it, and I’m at the hotel thinking about you.
I wanted to take a couple of minutes and respond to some of the comments, I did not know were there.
Jenny, I would really like to get a presentation together and have a Camino recap evening. If you know an author, I’d like to sit and see what he/she thinks. If we could use that as a springboard to help hospice, I’m all for it.
Debbie asked, where do I get my inspiration? I don’t look for inspiration. I look to maintain a heart that is opened with gratitude and simply available for this moment. It seems that the less I look for inspiration, and the more I keep my heart open to whatever is going on, the more things I notice that inspire me.
Cindy tells me that there is now a waiting list on The Way. If you have Netflix, that’s where I saw it, if not, get on that list.
After today’s walk, I need to give a special shout out and nod to my friend Scott Schowalter. Scott is a camping, hiking nut (said with sincere respect) and when I was looking at gear, of course, I sought his advice. We talked about shoes, and then he says, “do you have walking sticks”? I did not, and had no intention of getting any. I’d never used them, and didn’t think they were that big of a deal. Scott said very gently, “you have to get walking sticks. They will take 20-30% of the load off of your knees”. A couple of days later, he let me know they were on sale and where I could go to get them. GOOD CALL. The sticks have already paid for themselves as far as I’m concerned. They help reduce the load and help you “pull” on the uphill, but more importantly, they help you control your descent, which is where a great deal of the stress in hiking comes from.

Patti Jenkins writes: I am a clerical coordinator and NA (Nurse Assistant) at St. Elizabeth Hospice Inpatient Unit. When the unit I was working at closed, I was referred to the hospice unit. I did not think I could stay at this job because it was so sad. I did stay, and am glad that I decided to give it time, because as sad as it can be, it is equally rewarding, being with people during the hardest time of their lives. I feel that I have been touched more than I have ever touched others.

I’m not going to make an appeal tonight. It’s 9:06, and I’m staved. I will hit you tomorrow.

Buen Camino