Well, the dreaded jet lag hasn’t happened yet. I got home around midnight, and was up at 7am, ready to go for a walk. Which I did around 9:00. I walked to the local Panera, had a power sandwich and an espresso and walked home. I didn’t want to send my body into espresso withdrawl the first day back. I’m going to have to ease into less “go juice” and more cafe Americano. After sitting in airplanes and airports most of yesterday, it was nice to stretch the legs and breathe some fresh air.
I spent a great deal of my time in the airports and while walking today, trying to get the “Almighty lesson” from this pilgrimage to gel into a concrete idea. What finally emerged was how the walk, starting in Astorga, and ending at Finisterre corresponded perfectly to not only my life, but our lives. My life, and yours. The first couple of days were very difficult, but hanging in there and not quitting, eventually I got my trail legs and the walking became easier. Every day had a sameness to it, even though they were all quite different from each other. I woke up, packed my bag, ate breakfast, went to work if you will (walked) enjoyed a little leisure time in the evening, lights out. Wake and repeat. Sounds like our ordinary non-pilgrimage lives doesn’t it. Here’s the interesting thing about my journey. I was not particularly thrilled about going to Finisterre, but, that was the place where it all came together for me. When I got to the hotel, I seriously considered calling a taxi and riding out to the end. Then I decided that wouldn’t be “cricket”, so I suited up and hauled my butt to the lighthouse. Glad I did. The pace of traveling on foot changes the whole perspective of arrival. You see it coming long before you actually arrive. You have time to prepare yourself for arrival.
Once I got there, and out on the rocks and was able to sit there quietly for a while, I began to see a connection. Why pilgrimage is not just a reflection of ordinary life. How it helps you put all the puzzle pieces into place. I suspect that it’s different for everybody. I can only share what I thought, felt, and experienced. Maybe there’s some universality, maybe not.
What finally sank in for me today, was how the pilgrimage on El Camino de Santiago, reflected my entire life. When I was young, I struggled mightily to establish myself in a trade. I knew that I had to work hard if I wanted to have any of the things that constitute “the good life”. A house, car, savings, etc. But after a while the hard work started to pay off, and I got my trail legs for walking through life. I learned how to “pull” the uphills and not go “runaway” on the downhills. I could see the end of the road coming. Then, life took an interesting twist, and instead of arriving at the cathedral with a couple of more days walking to get to the end, I was thrust suddenly to the end. I stood on the rocks looking out over the Atlantic and understood how people could think this was the end of the world. There is nothing but blue water for as far as the eye can see. It has a quality of the eternal in that you almost can’t conceive of how much water you’re really looking at. If I could have gotten 2,000 feet higher, all I would have seen was water. No end in sight. Figuratively I’m somewhere on “the Road”. I don’t know where I am, or how far I have to go to get to “Earth’s end”, but I know it’s coming. The difference is when I actually arrive, the water won’t be a stopping point, but a new beginning.
Quite a few people have asked me to keep writing, which I am happy to do as long as I have something to say. I have been transparent about my personal journey since it began, and have no problem continuing to be so. My personal goal, however, is to hang around for a little while longer, and I can’t imagine anyone really being interested in my ordinary days. That said, I will be posting for a little while longer as I am still working with the St. Elizabeth Marketing Group to promote the Hospice Center in Edgewood. I’m sitting with Pee Wee tomorrow evening to make sure I understand the walk this weekend, and will post the details for that Thursday. If there is anything anyone would like to know about my medical condition or anything relating to it, you can write me at walkwithe@gmail.com, and I will be happy to reply here for anyone else who wants to know. I think it’s good to be curious about that which is inevitable in our lives. Far from being a downer, preparing for what is inevitable is the best way I can think of to free yourself to fully live your life. Fear is a lie. An open heart cancels fear. Open your heart and truly live.
Thanks for listening,

Buen Camino