I am preparing to leave again. My plan is to leave for Spain on June 29th to walk the Camino Frances with my daughter, Leea. However, as plans will, this one is in a state of flux. After talking about this for more than a year, my daughter may not be able to go this year. I have already walked the Frances twice, so if she doesn't go, I may do something different. Last year I started the Via de la Plata in Seville and did not finish it, because I got a call that a hospitalera was needed in Zamora. I decided that, for whatever reason, it was what I was supposed to do with my time. I try not to argue with what I sense is my purpose. That may sound a little vague, and it is, but it works for me most of the time. I would like to walk the Camino Portuguese from Lisbon to Santiago, or at least from Porto to Santiago. I would also like to finish the Via de la Plata by doing the Sanabres route.
So I am not sure which Camino I will be walking, or when I will return. I guess my journey now involves waiting for answers. This is not my long suits. I like to make plans and decisions. Waiting for answers is not my strong suit. However, I have a house to sell, plans to make, hikes and walks to make, friends to hug, and moments to cherish before I go.
I didn't use to have wandering feet, now I do. I didn’t use to like getting lost, now I don’t mind, because it is always an adventure. I use to live in the past and the future, but rarely in the moment. In 2013 while walking on the Camino Frances, I was getting caught up in what I call the "bed hysterics." People were getting up at three or four in the morning to get out the door and rush to the next stopping place because they were afraid they wouldn't get a bed for the night. It's hard not to get caught up in that. But I like to stop and take pictures, talk to people, get down on my knees and encourage snails and caterpillars to get move off the trail before they get step on. So, hurrying is not on my Camino agenda. During this time these words came to me, "I will get where I am supposed to be when I am supposed to be there." So whenever I found myself affected by the "bed hysterics," I would just repeat those words to my self. It helped me to stay in the moment and appreciate what was happening in the moment. I usually left the albergues late, enjoyed myself along the way, and I always had a bed to sleep in at night.
After I came home, I realized that these words kept pooping into my head when I was stuck in traffic, waiting for someone or something, or late for an appointment. It is one of the many lessons I learned on the Camino that have improved my life journey.
