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June 24, 2010
P.S. Insights from the walk from the comfort and safety of my home
Now that I've been home for nearly 4 weeks - WOW – I've noticed that I have been getting insight messages from the trip. They must be coming via my ankle, which continues with its own language to remind of my trip. I wouldn't say these insights are earth shattering but they seem to continue to build, somewhat like a drip of water on a rock that eventually wears it away and I know I will have the for the rest of my life.
1. Change my perspective – The path on the Camino is marked with yellow arrows, nothing official looking, but rather painted on rocks or trees or a fence. They are always there but I had a tendency to doubt their existence more than once. Perhaps I hadn't seen a marker for a while or there was a fork in the road and the path to take was not obvious. When my doubt started I would take a different tack – look up rather than down on the path, or step back a few feet, or peer around the corner or I walk for 5 minutes more - and it would ALWAYS be there. I just had to look differently. I think this learning is so critical for sizing up a situation or a person. What you see is definitely NOT what you get. You have to change your perspective or look at the situation or person differently and the truth will always come out and often some wonderful outcomes as well.
2. Trust – The arrows helped with the trust part but it was more than that. Everything I needed was always provided for me. If I doubted it, I had just failed to ask or I thought I needed more than was really necessary. I consistently found help whenever I needed it, I just had to trust that it would be there. Whether to dealing with an injury, or finding a bed or something to eat, or searching for an ear to listen, or a cab to take me when I needed to leave, it just appeared. I am struggling with trust now as I start searching for a new job. I need to have the trust that all will be revealed as to what I am meant to do, that I will have the answers to the tough questions, that I can do the job that is being asked of me and that I will succeed on my own terms if it is the right job for me.
3. Don't judge – I came across pilgrims from all parts of the world, of all ages, in all life states, men and women, of every occupation. Each handled the Camino in his/her own way. Some speed through it for the physical challenge. Others go very slowly, meditating, savouring every pebble. Others still, treat it as a party and make all kinds of noise on paths I think should be calm and quiet. But, I don't know their motivations and they don't know mine. What makes someone come back to do this 4 or 5 times – and there are many? We are all different and have had different life experiences. The Camino is uniquely personal to every walker. Who am I to judge.
4. The journey is the journey – On the Camino, many think that getting to Santiago is the end goal (and I'd be lying if I hadn't hoped to check off that box). But, I realized, when I had to leave to deal with a family emergency, as the cab drove my past the city to the bus terminal and I could see the spires, that the Cathedral in Santiago was not the end goal. For me it was just the beginning. The trek I walked was the reason for the trip. The journey was the journey. I was not going to be able to simply check the Cathedral off some virtual list and say, ok, did that one. As a hard core list maker and checker this was both uncomfortable and liberating. Who said (but me) that I had to check off items from a list. The journey – how you conduct yourself, who you meet, how you treat them, what you learn, is what it's all about. If the journey is conducted well, on your terms, the right outcome will happen – not just the one you thought would happen and could check off.
I couldn't close this blog without thanking all of you who donated to Epilepsy Ontario in honour of my Camino and all of you who cheered on the sidelines.
Goodbye and good will.
Elisa
May 28, 2010
The Pearly Gates
I had it all planned. Rather than ending up in Santiago on the 25th, at the end of the day, worn out and without a bed, I was going to take a leisurely pace to the town about 5 km outside of Santiago and stay there. Then, as the sun was coming up, the "Pearly Gates" of Santiago would open before me on the 26th.....EXCEPT.... about 5 minutes into that walk on the 25th the unplanned took over. I got a message related to a family emergency as I walked past the small concrete pillar that marked Santiago as being 15 km away. I had to get back home and, as usual, I was in the middle of nowhere. I walked to the nearest cafe, about 3 km further down, caught a cab, drove into Santiago, and saw the spires of the Cathedral at a distance as the driver took me to the bus station.
The lesson I had come to learn – about giving up control – was being hammered home again. The other lesson was more subtle. Arriving in Santiago was not the purpose of the journey. Checking it off the list of life tasks as "done" meant nothing. The journey was the purpose of the journey. So what did the journey teach me?
· Pilgrims are grateful – for a bed, sunshine, a cafe con leche when you need it most
· You always get what you need – a walking stick, a shoulder to lean on when you're hurt
· Trust – put one foot in front of the other and you will move forward, even if you think you can't
· Control – there is no such thing
· Common ground – no matter what country, or culture, everyone is looking for the same thing
· Fellow pilgrims – there will be at least one snorer in each hostel!!
So now I am back in Canada having walked nearly 400 km, much of it in complete silence. For a jabberwalky like me, the silence was indeed golden. Am I different? Was it life altering as others have said? I expect that will unfold over the next few weeks and months.
Hasta Luego.
Elisa
May 21, 2010
In four days I will walk through the stone portico of the Cathedral in Santiago and the physical part of my journey will have ended. The roads are getting more and more crowded as pilgrims have joined at the 100 km mark, in Sarria, the minimum distance to qualify for a certificate. This has also made for a somewhat rushed feeling on the path as peligrinos compete for a place to sleep.
There is somewhat of a feeling of resentment among the longstanding pilgrims who have already traveled many kilometers against these "day trippers" who send their back packs ahead to the hostels by taxi and walk without the baggage or take the bus through the less interesting parts of the Camino. It is easy for us to be judgmental about them intruding on "our Camino", treating it like a bus holiday. However, when the original pilgrims set out hundreds of years I expect there was a great deal of fun and laughter as families and neighbours traveled together so we should not judge as the purpose and time frame of the new pilgrims may be very different from our own.
Some impressions of "Spanishness" - smoking is still widespread; posted store hours are purely a suggestion; everything comes with fries; wine and beer are cheaper than water or soft drinks. I am especially taken though by the ability of the Spanish to take their past and meld it with the new, especially in their buildings. They consistently renew rather than tear down and perhaps there is a personal lesson in that.
May 17, 2010
Weather and whether
After four straight days of fog, drizzle, rain, freezing rain, snow AND climbing and descending two mountains the sun finally came out yesterday. I was beginning to despair of ever again wearing fully dry clothes. The pack, I am sure, had gained weight from the extra water (sounds like the typical female problem) it has absorbed. But, it was an important part of the Camino.
The mountains were the Cruz de Ferro (Iron Cross) and O'Cebreiro. The first is memorable because the cross is anchored by several feet of stones. These were not part of the architectural design but rather totally built by pilgrims. Each stone and pebble was left by a pilgrim in honour or remembrance of a trial or celebration or special person. I carried three pebbles with me from Canada - one for my family, one for my friends and one for me and they were thrown to the wind to land where they might. It was personally very memorable, even more so because I was also desperately searching for a discrete place to pee!
O'Cebriero, although a climb of 500 metres, seemed easy and it was so foggy at the top that the reputed view was totally invisible.
Coming down though and over the next couple of days, whether to take the highways or the back trails was in my favour. As the sun came out and by taking the trails, I was rewarded by a magnificent view of the valleys so far below, the sound of the rush of the river, the song of the birds and 12 inches of thick mud! I still think I made the right decision.
May 12, 2010
Now having been back on the road fully one week - the aches are predictable and are settling in. I know that as soon as I start out the ankle will sing and then stay on a dull hum for the duration. The right knee will join in for a couple of choruses when heading down hill. When the going is particularly tough the left knee joins the discordant harmony.
Going through the towns, I have gotten some interesting impressions - all of which have a metaphor in our own lives. Many of the church belfries have stork nests, with resident storks. Depending on how ornate the bell tower is, there can be 6 or 8 of them, almost like apartment buildings. Message - to get what you want, always go to the top; and, there is safety, comfort and power in numbers.
In a small town, I was about to pass by the local hostel but was drawn by the laughter of the hospatilero - the registration person. When I entered the courtyard he told me in Spanish to "take a load off and help myself to one of his candies". With a persistent smile he greeted everyone and while he could not remember the names he always knew where everyone came from. When a new pilgrim arrived who was from the same country or spoke the same language of another pilgrim, he would go out of his way to make the introduction. Message - networking works to make the circle bigger and to share common but personal experiences.
In the cathedral towns I was always struck by the oddity of the churches never being open when the pilgrims were most likely to be there - a bit like organized medicine - not always available to those who need them most. But in a lovely mountain village I attended a beautiful evening service in a tiny twelth century church, literally filled to the rafters and delivered in 4 languages - talk about accessibility and impact! Message - don't just rely on traditional approaches. Sometimes thinking out of the box will make a difference.
And, the last was a young Korean women and an older Spanish man who were walking together. Neither could speak even one word of the other's language but because they had a common goal - both heading to Santiago, they were communicating just fine. Message - find the common ground and the understanding will improve.
Tomorrow is the run up to the third vertical challenge - O'Cebriero - sounds ominous! And, it is likely to be a downpour as we have had all day today. Time for some shut eye.
Buenas Dias!!
May 1, 2010
April 30 was not the best day. On my way from Zubiri to Pamplona on a lovely fresh morning I stepped off a step onto a concrete platform that sent searing pain from the base of my left ankle halfway up my calf. This the dreaded ankle that has plagued me throughout my training and chose yesterday to yell UNCLE!
I was in a pickle - I was in the middle of nowhere. But, when you need something on the Camino, it is given to you. I had walked part of the day with a retired Frenchman who gave of his time to help me hobble the nearly 2 km to the nearest town (really a one house hamlet) and secure a cab - tougher than you may think because the taxi companies don't recognize Canadian cell numbers and don't want to dispatch - to the hospital in Pamplona.
But the hospital experience was wonderful. 1 1/2 hours after arriving at Emergency, I was done with admission, x-rays, the doctor and my ankle was decorated with a tensor bandage. Diagnosis - tendinitis. The cure - elevate, ice, compression and park your butt for 4-7 days. Dios Mio!
Ok, it's a set back, like we don't know about those in dealing with epilepsy. So I have been "resting" in a hotel in Pamplona (found by my French friend) and have finally found a bookstore through the Internet that carries English language books. So I take a cab over and the bookstore is closed - it's Labour Day in Spain! But the sun is shining after a torrential rain, I start to laugh and am now enjoying a Heineken and the tapas which always come with a drink in Espana.
If you can't get what you want, you'll get what you need.
Some famous guy said something like that.
Adios.
April 28, 2010
"Climb Every Mountain". It was very Julie Andrew today on the first, and I
am told, the toughest day of the walk. The walkers are at their least level
of fitness and nothing - no pictures, no war stories from people who had
been before, no amount of hill training back home - could prepare for the
uphill climb. My feet and legs were fine but my heart was pounding. Took
it slow and easy and entered the hostel about middle of the pack.
There were compensations. Lots of sunshine. The most amazing views of the
valley. Beautiful horses and new ponies at some pretty high elevations.
Tonight I am sleeping with 120 "pelegrinos" ... And 4 bathrooms and 2
showers for the lot!
A few more hills tomorrow but mostly going down.
Hola!
April 25, 2010
Well I'm Off Then
After 597 km and 118 hours of training, the day of reality has arrived. I am feeling both anticipation and a dose of healthy fear. This is no longer in a walk in the woods a couple of kilometres from home; it is now a completely different path. As I was walking today I was almost hoping the training wouldn't end. I am not an athlete - not even close - so to pretend this isn't daunting would be a downright lie.
On the other hand, what an adventure!
More than 100,000 people a year walk the Camino annually and I want to meet as many as I can. Millions have trekked over that last 1000 years in far more dangerous circumstances, with thieves and murderers in plentiful supply.
The worst I am likely to run into is a surly Spaniard annoyed at my inability to speak even rudimentary Spanish.
The word of the day is "ULTREYA" or "ULTREIA". This is a Spanish word, an expression of joy, derived from Latin and meaning ONWARD! It was and is in common use by pilgrims to greet and encourage one another along the way. It says, go further, higher. What a great word to guide us every day.
April 23, 2010
** New Time ** Watch Elisa's interview with CTV's Pauline Chan, this Saturday, April 24, on CTV 6pm News Health Segment at 6 p.m.
April 22, 2010
Elisa is set to leave April 25 to start her El Camino Walk!
April 19, 2010
Last week was difficult. I was tired of "practicing" walking, people were demanding my time to do other things so I felt I was behind in my training, the weather turned cold and rainy yet again. When the sun did come out and I set out with purpose. 5 minutes from my front door, every limb in my body rebelled. My shoes, which have gone through nearly 500 km of being broken in, pinched my feet. My right knee just throbbed, despite the brace. The pavement felt harder than ever. After having done 15 km consistently, and 21 km once, I could barely do 10 km before yelling "Uncle". And then, just to add insult to injury, some volcano in Iceland has the nerve to tamper with my travel plans. Would I be able to go at all?
So, it was with considerable anxiety that I planned to set out to walk on Sunday past. I was moaning and groaning about the last few days and my son said, "Just walk". In other words, stop planning the route, stop measuring the distance, stop worrying about the weather. Go take a walk. The Camino is about just walking and trusting that the next step will come.
Woodbridge is blessed with woods and conservation areas, particularly around the Humber River. I had stuck to the main roads, all paved, so I could measure them on mapmywalk.com and so I wouldn't cheat on distance. This Sunday though, I did the trails, which are not well marked or measured, but will be pretty similar to what I will encounter on the Camino. What a lovely surprise - no noise but the birds and the wind. The river was always in sight, sometimes slow and still, and elsewhere running over the rocks. In my hurry to leave home, I had forgotten my high tech walking stick and while asking directions (will be doing lots of that) of another hiker was told that the path ahead was pretty steep and I would need a stick. And, from the forest, he snapped off a good sized dead branch and created one for me.
It's all about the walk, not the starting point, not the destination, not how fast the walker is, not how well outfitted. Just enjoy the walk because soon enough it is over. By the way, the Madrid airport is fully operational, so I expect to be leaving on this Sunday the 25th as planned. TRUST.
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