Arrived  back in Santiago about 3:00pm. Been kind of odd not having anything specific to accomplish today. Did have some souvenir shopping to do, something I am not good at. I hope Trail Boss Sue likes the purple and pink cowboy hat with the ostrich feather I got her. I was pleasantly surprised to see that at least half if not more of the businesses around the cathedral were closed today. It’s not unusual to see businesses in Spain closed on Sunday, but like our country, cafes and tourist shops tend to be open to support the demand of foreign guests.
I remember when I was a kid it was common for businesses to be closed on Sunday. Parents would realize they needed something, but guess what, it had to wait. Somewhere along the way, consumers (as opposed to customers) wanted to be able to satisfy their every need 24/7/365. Businesses gave in. Now there is no actual day of rest. It’s always go, go, go. Wouldn’t it be nice if we took back our day off and returned to spending that day having dinner with the folks, and/or grandparents? Going to the park to play with our kids. Sitting around and enjoying a book. And let’s not forget attending to our spiritual needs.
In that spirit, I leave you for now. I travel tomorrow, and don’t arrive home until 11:35pm. Dr. W is going to put it on me Tuesday as I’ve missed two weeks of treatment. And, yes it was worth it.
I’ll see you soon.
The grace of our Lord Jesus Christ be with your spirit.

E.

Climbed on a double decker touring bus and headed out to Finisterre at 9:00 this morning. I seriously wish I could take one of these on my trip home. They’re way more comfortable than the airplanes. I realized as we were pulling out of the lot, that I hadn’t been in an automobile since I bused out to Astorga, on September 6th. Nothing particularly deep about that, just realized how much I’ve been physically engaged in the world, and how nice that’s been. It really changes the pace of life. Interestingly, I noticed that everything that needed to get done every day, did. The gentle rocking of the coach was very relaxing, and  I nodded in and out for most of the trip. When I came fully alert, we were just arriving in Finisterre. I discovered that my hotel was on the outskirts of town, on the opposite side of where I wanted to be. I grabbed a cab (only because of my suitcase) headed over and checked in. Suited up for the last time and got ready to head out. The lady at the reception desk, showed me a gate across the street and told me to go through the gate and head toward the beach. I discovered a flagstone sidewalk that paralleled the beach all the way into town. Very nice way to start this walk. Once I got into town, I had to find the trail, but this town was so small I could see where I needed to be and just headed up until I got to the road. It was about a 5km walk to the lighthouse, which is the official end of the trail. Behind the lighthouse, you can walk down the rocks and get closer to the “beach”. It’s actually the place where the ocean meets the rocks. I went about half way down, grabbed a nice rock to sit on and just sat in the sun and tried to take in the vastness of the view. When the pilgrimage started in the 13th century, before Christopher Columbus set sail for the new world, people literally believed this was the end of the earth. Sitting here, I can see why. You can see a bit of the land on the other side of the huge cove that Finisterre sits in, but the rest of what you see is water. To the horizon, water. In every direction in front of you, water.

Legend has it that when the early pilgrims got here, they burned their clothes, took a bath in the Atlantic, put on new clothes, and turned around to walk home. No tour buses. Quite a few people bring something to burn here. You can see little fire pits all over the rocks where different groups have honored this tradition. I didn’t bring anything to burn, but I decided to leave something here. I decided to leave my fear here. My fear that I will shame my family and my God by behave cowardly in my time of dying. My fear that Nancy and Erin will suffer without me there. My fear that Erin will not achieve all she’s capable of achieving without me here to encourage her (my greatest fear). I pulled those fears into one ball, laid it on the cliffs of Finisterre, stood up, and walked away from them. I’m sure I’ll have to perform this ritual in my heart and mind many times between now and the time ritual has no more meaning for me, but I vow to do it as often as necessary.    

 Two thoughts today from the two books of Wisdom I cherish.  

Chapter 16    

Empty your mind of all thoughts. Let your heart be at peace. Watch the turmoil of beings, but contemplate their return.    

Each separate being in the universe returns to the  common source. Returning to the source is serenity. If you don’t realize the source, you stumble in confusion and sorrow.

When you realize where you come from, you naturally become tolerant, disinterested, amused, kindhearted as a grandmother, dignified as a king. Immersed in the wonder of the Tao, you can deal with whatever life brings you, and when death comes, you are ready.  

James 3:17,18   “But the wisdom from above is first pure, then peaceable, gentle, open to reason, full of mercy and good fruits, without uncertainty or insincerity. And the harvest of goodness is sown in peace by those who make peace.”

Brian Jones, Director of Hospice and Palliative Care programs for St. Elizabeth Healthcare writes: “I’ve worked in the hospice field for nearly 10 years, both in direct patient care and as an administrator. I feel very “called” to the mission we embrace, caring for patients at the most vulnerable time in their life, interacting with families and helping patients “die well” on their terms and in comfortable, familiar surroundings. You have to have a passion for this work, to do this job. Those who do not, usually do not last very long and move on to something else.”

If you would like to help St. Elizabeth Hospice Center, go to the Help St. E page, and at the bottom of the page is a link that will take you to St. E’s page.  In the “other” box you can put $5 and directly under that box please drill down and choose Walk with E. Your gift helps this amazing organization continue to do work that is vitally important and will only continue to become more necessary.

If you live in the greater Cincinnati area consider coming out next weekend and walking with us from PeeWee’s restaurant.  PeeWee’s is located at 2325 Anderson Rd. off of Buttermilk Pike. Take Buttermilk west off the interstate. There is a BP station at the corner of Anderson. Turn away from the BP, and PeeWee’s is just over the top of the hill on the right. I will post the details for this walk again tomorrow.

Buen Camino

Yesterday afternoon while going through what has become my normal travel routine; washing and rinsing travel clothes, then inventorying and straightening up the suitcase, I decided to employ a practice advocated by many spiritual traditions, but not used much in this modern age. I decided to fast during my walk today, which means I would not take any food until dinner tonight. It’s not an austere, self sacrificing thing. It’s a practical way to focus all of your energy; physically, mentally, and spiritually on a given task. By not attending to the bodies physical need for food, a person is able to redirect that energy toward the task at hand. If the body doesn’t need to support the internal organs that are digesting food, more blood is available to support the muscles being used to walk. Finally, doing without physical sustenance for a brief period, allows one to more fully engage the moment. I did take some juice and coffee early in the morning, but as soon as the sky began to lighten, I (along with many others) hit the trail for the last 19km of this incredible journey. I spent very little time taking photos today. Obviously didn’t stop to enjoy a cafe con leche. I only stopped for restroom breaks, and to stamp my credentials passport. I was sitting about 10km out at ten o’clock, when I remembered that someone told me there was a pilgrim’s mass at noon. I knew if I could hold my pace through the uphill and down, that I could get to the cathedral in two hours. I picked out a couple of young guys who were moving along at a good clip, and like running down I-75 to Florida, let them take the lead while I matched their pace. And wouldn’t you know, I made it. As I walked into St. James cathedral the mass was just starting. They welcome all the pilgrims in at least three if not four languages, English included. When I say that this church is big, what I really mean is ginormous. And it was packed. I had to stand off to the side, but was able to see what was going on. After standing there for a while, my legs were feeling the exertion from today, and not liking the idea of just standing, period. I went to the office of certification, and got my compostela, my certificate of completion. I am now officially a pilgrim. (I don’t know why everytime I say that in my head I hear John Wayne’s voice). After the mass let out, I spent about an hour touring around this incredible building. I did take some pictures from the outside, but I literally had to stand back 60-70 yards to get the whole front in a photo. It was a little too much for the iphone. Hopefully some of them will come out OK. On several occasions, for no apparent reason, my heart had words that could not be expressed, and so I leaked all over everything. I noticed a lot of people doing the same thing. It was a good moment.
I’ve tried to be very careful about respecting the fact that people from many different backgrounds might be reading this blog, but today, I wanted to share from my Catholic tradition. Since I hit Spain and started walking, I have been reading the book in the New Testament written by St. James, the apostle. It seemed appropriate given that I was walking to a church built in his honor, and the road I was walking is “The Road to St. James”. I was particularly struck by this verse. “If a brother or sister is ill-clad and in lack of daily food, and one of you says to them, ‘Go in peace, be warmed and filled,’ without giving them the things needed for the body, what does it profit?” Or, to paraphrase, what good is that?  Along with a belief system that promotes an open heart of gratitude, we do need to actually do something to demonstrate that open heart. In this day and age, there are so many ways to get involved. You can give your time. You can give your money, if you don’t have time. You can give both. The bottom line is, we can all give back. It doesn’t have to be a lot. Whatever you have is good enough. It’s easy to stay uninvolved and blame someone else for the social problems that are all around us. But at the end of the day, we can all find a little time, or a little money to help the truly down and out. Think about it. Off to Finisterre tomorrow. I assume they will have wi-fi. If not, I’ll hit you on Sunday when I return to Santiago. Open your eyes and heart to the family that surrounds you. Be thankful for the friends in your life. Be good to each other.

Dr. Lawrence Brennan MD writes: “I helped start our hospice because there was a huge need for palliative services, and twenty-five years ago there was no one addressing  this need. Since then, hospice has grown and become much more accepted, though in Western societies many people still have difficulty understanding that the dying process is, in fact, part of the living process. I hope we do a good job of providing comfort care, and also comfort to people at the end of their life.”

Today rather than make an appeal, I am simply going to say “muchos gracias” to all of you who have answered my call to help the St. Elizabeth Hospice Center. So you know, on Saturday the 28th, a 150 mile walk is being walked out of Pee Wee’s Restaurant in Crescent Springs. HIs address is 2325 Anderson Rd. It’s off of Buttermilk Pike. There’s a BP  on the corner of Buttermilk and Anderson Rd. Turn away from the BP. It’s being walked in 5 mile legs for a total of 150 miles to match the 150 miles I walked. A donation of $10 per person is being asked, and all monies collected will go to the St. Elizabeth Hospice. If you can’t walk but would like to make a donation you can drop it off at Pee Wee’s. Again his address is 2325 Anderson Road, Crescent Springs, KY 41017. The first leg kicks off at 4:00 am the 28th, and there will be a leg starting every hour and fifteen minutes, with the last leg starting at 4:45pm on the 29th. Feel free to show up and join in. I intend to walk the first leg, and the last, and if I feel good, one in the middle. No reservation required. BTW, he makes a killer burger.

Buen Camino

For the last five or six days, it always seems to be cloudy in the morning, (hence the ground fog shots I’ve been able to capture) and when the sun comes up, it greatly reduces the volume of clouds, and what remains is a light cloud cover. This morning, the cloud cover seemed so heavy that I actually thought I might be breaking out the raincoat before the day was over. It also had a nasty feel of wanting to bring Mr. Melancholy back for a return visit. I wasn’t crazy about that idea, so I created a little mantra as I was walking:

Fill me with joy,

Fill me with light, 

Open my heart to gratitude.

I’d say it for a while, until something caught my attention, but eventually would realize that I had stopped, so would start again. You’d be surprised how a little thing like that can put your head into a really good place.  After an hour or so, the clouds broke and we had a day of full sun. I actually had to don the old yellow dew rag to protect the melon. Of course my mantra didn’t make the sun come out. But I was grateful it did,  always have been a sun freak.
You could sense a difference on the trail today. There was the usual banter and conversation, but there was also a little bit of an edge. It’s as if people are realizing that  we’ll reach St. James Cathedral tomorrow. I’m not really sure what to think. I have purposefully tried not to have any ideas about what a pilgrimage is, or should be. I have not adopted any particular practices for pilgrimage. I have tried to keep my eyes and heart open to whatever happened, knowing that it was in fact, part of my pilgrimage. It’s called “don’t know” mind. If you have ideas about how something should be, then you start to filter all experience through the  lens of your particular ideas. Mind will dismiss, or not pay attention to whatever doesn’t fit within your “ideas”. If you have “don’t know” mind, then you are more open to whatever happens, and the possibilities for any particular moment become endless. Today, for me, was just walking in the sun, chanting my little made up mantra and trying not to anticipate what’s going to happen tomorrow when I arrive in Santiago. I leave you today with some quotes that I like. 

“We’re so busy looking out for what’s just ahead of us, that we don’t take the time to enjoy where we are.”    Calvin & Hobbes (fictional characters created by Bill Watterson)

“The most important thing in life is to learn how to give out love, and to let it come in.” Morrie Schwartz

“I have found the paradox, that if you love until it hurts, there can be no more hurt, only more love.”     Mother Teresa

“Above all be true to yourself, and if you can’t put your heart in it, take yourself out of it.”     unknown

“Tears are words the heart can’t express.”    unknown

“Do not spoil what you have by desiring what you have not; remember that what you now have was once among the things you only hoped for.”     Epicurus

Mickey Hoffmann writes: “I started in Home Health & Hospice as a volunteer. I had been hurt at work and was in a retraining program and volunteering was part of the program. After I completed the program, I was hired at the Home Health & Hospice program as a temporary through a service. I told my husband, “If I didn’t have to work, I would still volunteer at Hospice because they are so good to their patients and employees”. Then a job became available and I applied. That was 20 years ago”

I am happy to report that to date you have generously contributed about $3,500.00 to St. Elizabeth Hospice. I am grateful. If you intend to contribute you can go to the Help St. E page on the website. You will find the link to the St. E page at the bottom, and it will take you to their page. There, select the “other” box, and type in $5. Right below that box is a drill down menu. Please drill down and select Walk with E. Thank you again for your generosity. If you live in the Greater Cincinnati area, there will be a fundraiser next weekend starting at Peewee’s on Anderson Rd. just off Buttermilk Pike. Will have details tomorrow.

Buen Camino

I thought I was prepared for just about anything on this trip. I packed clothes that I can wash in the shower and dry on hangers in my room. I have a rain coat that I’m ready to pull out if needed. I have all my daily meds, and even my electric toothbrush. So imagine my surprise while sitting in the sunshine this morning enjoying a cafe con leche (or rocket fuel as I think of it) when I had a moment of melancholy. Now normally, I’m not one to get “down”. I’m more likely to get angry than down.  And yet there I was in the midst of this glorious walk feeling down. So what do you do? Tell yourself what an idiot you are? I’m usually being idiotic about something anyway, so I know that doesn’t help. Yell at yourself to stop it? Don’t think about pink elephants. Give in and be down? Really not my style.
How many times in the middle of a great day, or doing something with the family that is really fun, have you found yourself suddenly down? I’m not talking about clinical depression, just off a little. How do you handle it? Years ago when I first starting sitting zazen at the Cincinnati Zen Center, I had the opportunity to visit with the Zen Master (Zen Master Dae Gak) and had asked him something that started with, “what do you do when …” or, “how do I handle this …” His answer was simple and delightfully on point. He said, “Awareness is curative”. I understood the words when he spoke them, but wasn’t sure how they applied to the situation. Like most beginning practitioners, I wanted the zen wisdom of the ages. And actually I’d gotten it, I just didn’t recognize it. No matter how good (or bad) things are going, mind will always try to control all situations. It’s what mind does. Some distractions will happen with thoughts, some distractions will happen with emotions. But if, when we find ourselves unexpectedly “down”, we just stop and become aware of what’s happening without trying to “fix” the situation, you may find the simple act of being aware has the effect of lessening the impact of what’s happening. I would suggest that generally speaking, bringing awareness to what you’re doing is a good practice to cultivate. As it turned out, I sat with the melancholy, said “hey what’s going on”, and turned my face back to the sun, because it felt really good. Then I put the pack on and pushed myself hard for a couple of miles and got a good light sweat going. Back to being grateful for another glorious day.

Carlene Jones writes: “I work in Care coordination. I’ve been with St. Elizabeth Hospice for three years, but have been in hospice care since 1995. From the beginning I felt compelled to do this work for a variety of reasons, the strongest being my belief that God designed us to live and die well. Sometimes our interference (medically speaking) makes things worse for the patient and family, whereas with hospice we facilitate dying peacefully and naturally while supporting the patient and family. I don’t view our work as end of life care, but as “living care”. We treat the whole person, and their family, not a disease or process. It is a blessing to be able to care for the entire family unit at such a critical time in a person’s life journey”.

If you haven’t taken the opportunity to give yet, please consider a gift of $5 to help this wonderful organization. On the Help St. E hospice page, scroll to the bottom and follow the link to their web page. In the “other” box, put $5. Directly under that box, drill down on the menu and choose Walk with E. Thank you, and know your gift helps a great deal.

Buen Camino

Woke up this morning wanting a lighter day, meditatively, to go with the light walking day I had. In order to time my arrival in Santiago to this Friday, my tour guide broke a normal walking day into two very easy days, of 15km today and 14.5km tomorrow. I got on the road at the normal time of about 8:15, but then really reigned in the urge to move. I realized that I’ve spent a lot of time “working” and not quite as much time relaxing, taking in the sights, and opening myself to the “joy of life” as I’d like. Decided to relax, and let joy reign.
As I walked along, I realized that while I’ve gotten lots of pictures of churches from the outside, I haven’t been able to get inside very many. I turned my attention inward/outward and thought, I’d really like to see some churches inside today. Didn’t worry about it, because I was letting joy lead the day. Ended up getting into three churches, one of them dating to the thirteenth century.  Think about that. I’m standing in a church that was built before anyone on this part of the globe even knew the land we call the USA existed. How’s that for perspective? The icons and statuary in it were in the Gothic style. Unfortunately there was a no photo sign and the padre was sitting right there. He was a younger priest so didn’t want to push my luck … you know how they are … Kidding.
Walked over some bridges that hail from Roman times. They’re arched where they go over the stream/river, but the walkway is a straight line up, then a straight line down … very cool.
Like I said, I didn’t want to spend any time thinking about weightier things today, so I focused on joy. For me joy is not happiness, contentment, or quiet satisfaction, but contains all those things. For it to become joy, there has to be the addition of the Indescribable. You know, that little something that takes happiness and contentment to the level where everything is perfectly balanced, even in the midst of the storm. The problem with it, is that right when you become aware that you’re in the joy bullseye, it vanishes. You can’t conjure it up, you can’t hang on to it. You just have to accept it when it shows up. I do think you have a better shot of entering the circle with a daily habit of opening your heart and being grateful for everything that comes your way, but that’s me … do your best.

Annette Bishop writes: “I have wanted to work with hospice since becoming a nurse in 1992. I have worked in hospice care since 1999 and with St. Elizabeth for five years. As I have discovered, many hospice co-workers, like myself, had a significant loss as a child. My father died when I was eleven. His younger children were not allowed into the ICU, even when they knew he was actively dying. Hospice care has so much improved the dying process for patients and families. I’ve had five family members use hospice services since 1999, and each death was peaceful and the family was wonderfully supported. I feel privileged to provide this same support for others”.

If you haven’t had time yet, please consider a small gift to the St. Elizabeth Hospice Center. My goal/desire was to get as many people as possible to give $5. On the website go to the Help St. E page, scroll to the bottom, and follow the link. In the “other” box put your $5 donation, and directly below that box, drill down the menu and choose Walk with E. That let’s us track the contributions made through this effort. Thank you for your support.

Buen Camino

Pulled out of Portomarin this morning to another thick layer of fog. Again, it has such a way of dampening sound, and creating this quiet, surreal atmosphere. The path was full this morning. A lot of folks start in Sarria, and I suspect it will be this way every morning until we hit Santiago. The trick is to wait until they “pit” for their morning cafe con leche, and keep going. You can walk into a less crowded path pretty quickly. Noticed that I am really feeling strong. Seem to have finally gotten my “trail legs”, and that makes it easier to look around and just be here.
At one point this morning, a young lady was standing in the path, trying to solicit funds for a center for the hearing impaired. I pulled out 2 Euros and kept on going. Caught myself wondering if I had just contributed to a center for the hearing impaired, or her daily income. Then I started thinking about all the folks you see nowadays on exit ramps, and sitting outside anyplace where groups gather. I don’t know about you, but when I see one of these folks, my mental process works like this. How clean are their clothes? Is that a fresh pack of smokes? What is the look on their face? Do they look like they’re at work, would they rather be anywhere but here?  I’m not saying I’m right, that’s just what I do. Many times I believe the person is genuinely in need, and I try to keep a couple of bucks, or some change in the console to give.
Generosity. What a deep well that is. Spent a great deal of my day thinking about it, and never did end up with anything concrete. Just some random thoughts.
How many times when talking to a friend who is having a hard time forgiving someone, have you used the “acid in the chalice” metaphor to suggest that the person harmed by our failure to forgive is not the person who requires forgiveness, but the “chalice” holding the acid of unforgiveness. Seems to me generosity is the opposite. It’s not an acid in a chalice, it’s a golden elixir of healing, designed to benefit both the person who receives, and, the person who gives. I know, I know, you’re just sure that if you give, that person is just going to go drink it, or drug it and you don’t approve of that … fair enough.
Let me suggest that in those times, it’s not about the recipient. Generosity is about keeping our hearts open, and soft to those who will need our help. If you always try to figure out what the person’s going to do with the money, and make your decision based on what you think (and you really can’t know) you’ll give less and less, until you give nothing to anyone, including someone who might really need your help. I’m not saying you shouldn’t try to practice a little discernment. What I’m saying is, if the person is obviously not a scam artist, take a chance. When you give, don’t think about what that person is going to do. Just give. That keeps YOUR heart where it needs  to be, open. To be sure, you’re going to be taken advantage of, but that’s not our concern. Our concern is having a heart that is not jaded and hardened. That is capable of responding to the needs of others. At least that’s the way it seems to me. And don’t forget, your kids hear what you do, much more than what you say … just sayin’
I was  reviewing comments and saw some old friends I need to say hello to. Tom L, so good to hear from you. Shoot me your phone number at walkwithe@gmail.com. Would love to call and catch up. Brillo, dude, same thing. It was really good to see your names.
Marcia Eason writes: “I am a supervisor for the Hospice and Palliative care social workers, andI have worked here a little over 20 years. I feel called to work in hospice because I experienced the death of my father from ALS when I was in college. He, and our family did not have the advantage of receiving hospice services while he was dying. I emotionally prepared for his death in my own way with the support of my family and friends, but after learning more about hospice during my training as a social worker, I know how much it could have helped my dad and our family. I think the hospice social worker, in particular, could have helped us as my family was one that did not always encourage open expression of feelings and we would have benefitted by doing more of it. The social worker might have helped us open up to each other and become closer as a family while we were going through this time in the life of our family. This is what I try to bring to work every day”.
One of the things I wanted to accomplish on this walk, other than actually making it, was to raise awareness of, and funds for, the Hospice center at Saint Elizabeth in Edgewood KY. I know that many people reading this blog don’t live in the area, and feel “why should I give to that hospice center”. Well, the simple answer is, because I’m asking you to. Here’s what I would suggest. Go to the Help St. E. hospice page and donate $5 to this hospice center. Under the box you will have to use to donate $5 don’t forget to drill down and select Walk with E. After you’ve done that, find the hospice center in your area, and donate $10 to them. You’re still not out the cost of a movie for two, and you’ve done an incredible thing, truly. Thanks to all who have contributed. Your gift is appreciated more than we’ll be able to say or write.

Buen Camino

I had hoped to avoid it, but today was the day when not everything went according to plan. I stayed last night at a hotel in Sarria, by the train tracks (very nice) and the lady who checked me in told me that I didn’t have to go all the way back to where I turned off to get to the hotel, I could take “the shortcut” and be right back on the trail without having to go through town … sounded easy enough.

This morning I had the map she marked for me, and off I went. Got to the point the map said I should be and started up the highway. According to my own maps, I should have walked about a kilometer or so, then intersected with the trail. Didn’t happen. I ended up walking about five miles (easy miles to be sure) on the highway. I wasn’t overly concerned because the highway was the road to Portomarin, which is where I was heading anyway. Worst case, I walk the highway for 23km and get here an hour or so later than planned. I knew I wasn’t on the path because there were no pilgrims around, ahead, or behind. And that was when I spent some time reflecting on how connected we really are to each other. I don’t spend a great deal of time talking to other pilgrims, but have noticed that I like having them around. Even without speaking to each other, we’re a constant support system for each other.  I have always considered myself perfectly comfortable being alone, but now I’m starting to see how truly connected I am to others.

Eventually I came to the place where the Camino crossed the highway, turned right and “away, we go” (Ralph Cramden aka Jackie Gleason). Once I was on the path again, and had the first of two stamps needed everyday from here on, I relaxed and started thinking about all the ways I “coach” myself through my days. I thought about all the little lies I tell myself to get through the day, and wouldn’t it be nice if I just lived my life in such a way that I didn’t have to trick myself through it. Of course with all the things we have to get done in our lives, I’m not sure that’s possible. We’re so perpetually over scheduled, that we’d never get it all done, if we didn’t coach ourselves. But what do you think your life would look like if you were doing work that you really enjoyed doing? If you were the kind of parent that you really wanted to be? The kind of student you know you should be, and are capable of being? How would we begin to impact each other’s lives?  Seemed to me on the trail today, that if I had spent the energy in my life doing things the way I knew they should be done instead of trying to avoid doing them, I might have ended up a lot further ahead.

What do you spend time trying to avoid, that you know at the end of the day, you’re going to do anyway?  Just do it. You might find your life a little less exhausting and you a little less exhausted.

Need to give a great big old ruby red raspberry (pheeewwwww) to my buddy Rosie J. She told me before I left, “you know you’re going to spend most of your time on pavement”. Uhn-uh. Actually been mostly path through the countryside. I think some tour guides use the roads more but I seem to have one that prefers to stay off-road. You have to know that I don’t often catch Rosie being wrong about anything, so this is particularly sweet. I also learned last night, that a lot of what I thought was old bedrock, is in fact some of the ancient Roman roads used to travel on, back in the day.  Very cool.

Want to give a shout out to Micky, and all the folks walking ten minutes a day for fifteen days. I’m thinking about you, and very grateful for your energy.

Saint Patti Lee writes: “I’m a Hospice Care Coordinator. I work with patients in the hospital who have been referred for Hospice care. This involves meeting with the patient/family and planning for their care, usually resulting in discharge to their home with the necessary medical equipment and medications, or, arranging for a short transitional stay at the Hospice Inpatient Unit. I’ve worked for St. Elizabeth for 35 years, and in Hospice for 32 (which is why I called her saint Patti Lee). I was attracted to Hospice because of the help and support provided to terminally ill individuals and their families. When I was a teenager, I watched my mother struggle as an only child caring for her mother who was dying of brain cancer. I know she would have greatly benefitted from the help Hospice gives”.

Today is Sunday, so I’ll close with something different. This is from the Tao te Ching, translation by Stephen Mitchell.

Chapter 8

The supreme good is like water,

which nourishes all things without trying to.

It is content with the low places that people disdain.

Thus it is like the Tao.

In dwelling, live close to the ground.

In thinking, keep to the simple.

In conflict, be fair and generous.

In governing, don’t try to control.

In work do what you enjoy.

In family life, be completely present.

When you are content to be simply yourself

and don’t compare or compete,

everybody will respect you.

Buen Camino

For whatever reason, my devices would not sync to the wifi (pronounced weefee here) when I arrived in Tricastela yesterday. I tried for a little while, then just had to accept the fact that I was “going dark” last night. I had dinner with a couple of travelers from Canada who were kind enough to let me use one of their phones (they were smart enough to purchase international minutes) so I could call Nancy and let her know all was well. What a glorious day. I think it was the first day I wasn’t climbing the Empire State building all day. In fact, most of yesterday was walking downhill. Gave the walking sticks a good work out. Tricastela is what we would call a one light town. They call it a village (it doesn’t actually have a traffic light). I stayed about ten minutes outside of the village at the Casa Pacios. It’s an old Spanish farmhouse, that has been converted to a hotel. Imagine a big square building. In the center of the square is an open courtyard laid with very large flagstones. Around the edge of the courtyard are the rooms for the house. On one side of the courtyard, it’s a two story situation, and the hotel rooms are on the upper level. I felt like I was staying somewhere right out of Zorro. I can easily imagine that at one time, the livestock was kept in this courtyard, to protect them from predators … that must have smelled lovely.
For the last two days I’ve been walking through dairy country. Leon y Castilla, where I started, seemed to be a little more agricultural, think grapes, but Galicia, where I am now is definitely cow country. Every village I walk through has the fresh baked aroma of cow pie. Yum yum. At one point yesterday, I rounded the corner of a building and almost head butted about 1200 lbs of fresh steak on the hoof. WHOA. Almost laid a road apple myself. I knew it was “just a cow” but when you’re looking dead in his/her eyes and it has horns, I don’t care  what you know about livestock, that’s a big animal. Didn’t have any time to be concerned as his minder (a miniature looking German Shepherd, was nipping at it’s heels telling it to “move along”). Because I only walked about 13.2 miles, I seemed to recover a little quicker than I have been. My new Canadian friends and I were noticing that everyone who is hiking the Camino, unless they started in St.Jean, all have what we have termed the “pilgrim’s limp”. After walking all day, when you do stop, the muscles in your calves just cramp up, and you end up hobbling. It would be funny to watch, if you didn’t do it also. I don’t know how I would have gotten started the last couple of days without the big tube of Biofreeze that my friends at St. E Holistic Health Services donated. Helps to “unstick” everything and get me going.
Today, I started out in the fog. Not “a fog, the fog”. If you’ve every been outside in a dense fog, you know that it has a tendency to really dampen sound. I walked half the morning with the only sound I could hear being my boots. I imagine that some would find this eerie, but I was digging it. Because visibility was only about 50 yards ahead, I just walked. Not a lot of time for reflection, although at one point, it did occur to me that just as our little “bat-caves” we provision for maximum comfort, are our “homes”, this whole planet is His home. I can tell you that for me, there’s no “looking for God” out here. You can’t miss Him, just open your eyes and look around. I’m walking right through His living room. At least that’s how it seems to me.
Point of order: Because I know that many people reading this blog do not share my personal “religious beliefs”, I am intentionally trying to use language that can be related to by all. In the Zen tradition, when trying to convey Truth, the language and the teaching are referred to as the “finger that points to the moon”. The point is to look at the moon, not get hung up on whether the finger needs it’s nail trimmed … ’nuff said.
Before we get too close to winter, consider taking some time to reacquaint yourself and more importantly your kids with the natural world. I was listening to the radio a couple of months ago, and the the gentleman speaking was saying that the generation growing up right now, will be the first generation to have no significant interaction with the natural world, and he suspected that there will be interesting consequences as a result. My generation grew up playing outside until dark, knowing that we had until mom called us the third time to come in. Our kids. Not sure if they even have the stuff to play outside with …very sad.

Mindy Loan writes: I am an RN visit nurse and unofficial Team Leader. I’ve worked in Home Care Hospice for three years. I used to be “pulled” to the Hospice IPU (Inpatient Unit) at the old North unit in Covington when I was a floor nurse. It was there I realized that being able to comfort patients and their families at the end of life is so rewarding. Currently one of the things I do is manage phone calls from emotional patients and/or family members and try to calm them, until a staff member can visit. Occasionally I’m called to visit patients, when no other staff is available. I believe that God smiles on any of us who help make the transformation from this life to the next as comfortable and peaceful as possible.

If you haven’t yet, please consider visiting the Help St. E page on my website www.walkwithe.com and make a $5 donation. Below the “other” box where you will have to enter $5, is a drill down menu. Please drill down and select Walk with E. I am so grateful to all of you who have given, and some more generously than $5. Thank you. Anything you can give, helps tremendously.

Buen Camino

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