The Real Camino Begins

I am existing in a state of disbelief. Did I really just spend the last month walking nearly 500 miles? Have I actually routinely awoken before sunrise to pack a 15 pound bag and walk, on average, 24 kilometers? Is it true that I have allowed myself to become numb to pain in my legs, hips, and feet? Have I truly befriended people from Denmark, Italy, England, South Korea, Spain, and elsewhere? Is it true that sitting in a Basilica on the western coast of Spain could feel like a homecoming as pilgrims from points all over the globe file in from all entrances?

As a thought and in reflection these questions seem implausible. I never imagined I would have the strength and stamina to walk such a distance. I never imagined I would have the willpower to push through unrelenting pain. I never imagined that a foreign church would feel like home and that so many people could feel like family.

Doubt has a way of etching into the realities of truth. I have walked a seemingly unsurmountable distance. My feet are callused and my legs are more defined. Something that once was thought impossible has been made possible. This last month has occurred and other than a few scars, little proof exists.

This is true in life, love, and faith. It is impossible to prove the love that one person has for another. It is impossible to exhibit the transformation that a relationship can have on a person. It is unlikely that someone can produce evidence for their faith. For all of these things however, we know them to be true because of the dynamic effect they have made on us internally.

In the days, weeks, months, and years ahead I will still be processing my time on the Camino de Santiago. The lure of the yellow arrows will continually mark the way towards welcoming hospitable relationships. The comfort of the seashells will forever draw my attention and cause me to remember my innate connection with other people. The breaking of good bread and sharing of a good meal will forever display the communion that can be celebrated with people across cultural, political, and linguistic divides.

I am not certain yet what this experience has done for me, but I know that while my road to Santiago de Compostela has come to an end the real Camino is just beginning.

Buen Camino!