We have been walking the Camino for 16 days now. We have taken 2 days of full rest but still, lots of miles down, lots to go, and lots of good and tough things.
We’ve experienced hard conversations, blisters, shin splints, knee and back pain, shoulder pain, aching feet and legs and more. Those things have been hard. But there have been good things too. Sweet conversation. Building friendship between the 4 of us and inviting others in as well and getting to know them, good Spanish wine that’s in budget, lots of laughs, and starting our day with exercise everyday to just name a few.
Today, as I walked without my pack (thanks to my supporters!), and felt the blisters continuing to form on my feet, I thought about the Camino…I thought about how the Camino is kind of like life. In life we go through challenges, we face obstacles and sometimes want to give up because it sucks…bad. Sometimes it hurts and is painful. Sometimes we walk through rainy seasons, like we did yesterday on the Camino, and sometimes…there’s a lot of joy.
Sometimes we laugh and cry because of the amount of joy we feel. Sometimes we walk through beautiful seasons that are like the tiny little Spanish towns we walked through today : calm, charming, beautiful, lovely in every way. And at times we sit around the table and share a delicious meal with strangers and become friends with people we just met whom we may never see again. But that’s ok, because it’s the season and it’s a blessing.
But despite all the ups and downs, despite the tough times, we still keep going. We still persevere. Just as in life, we don’t stop. We push through and we overcome. That’s exactly what we’re doing on the Camino, we’re overcoming something that in this moment, looks so far away and unattainable…but we’re doing it and not giving up.
I‘m thankful for this season of life. I’m thankful for the Camino. I’m thankful for the lessons the Lord is teaching me within the physical difficulty of this experience. It’s all a blessing.
