What can I say about this experience… Without a doubt it has been one of the most demanding mental challenges I have ever faced. I am talking about the Camino de Santiago.
Even having done one of the shortest paths, from Ferrol to the Cathedral of Santiago, about 118 km, I must admit that there have been times when I did not believe I would be able to finish it.
Like any good novice, the first day I felt I could walk to the end of the world, but when the second day came, the bambollas had already made their presence and soon I was hurting every step I took. I have to say that I did quite a few things wrong: I didn’t lace up my boots properly or wear the right shoes, but most importantly, I didn’t use the poles on the first day. This means that as a novice I have learned a lot, but my experience should not be taken as an example.
Even with all that, this experience has changed my life.
On the road material things disappear, at most you can be accompanied by a book (as was my case). You open yourself to the people and the environment. In many occasions it is you, with you and your thoughts, which can become complicated. On the road you realize what is really necessary and all that we can do with so little. The road helps you put many things into perspective, some of which you might not even have considered. Suddenly your belongings are reduced to a couple of changes of clothes, a small toiletry bag and a necessary first aid kit. You carry on your back only what you need.
This made me reflect a lot on how we act in our daily lives. Putting expectations, regrets and unresolved emotions on our backs, carrying a weight we believe is useful to us and only makes the road more complicated. Instead, I prefer to think of my backpack as full of experiences I’ve been able to learn from, friendships that give me value and ambitions that encourage me to keep walking. Do we put more weight than we can carry on our backs? That’s something I have yet to figure out.
But without a doubt, the road is a way to connect with yourself. This experience has made me value my own physical condition much more, to value what my body can do, all its potential. One of the most valuable lessons I take away from this adventure is that the body is the machine that allows us to experience life, and if we want the experience to be of quality, we have to take care of the gears every day.
They have been hard days, but there is something that has made them easier (much easier) and that is the companion who has been guiding me. I have been fortunate to have by my side a person who has allowed me to feel the pain, talk to distract me and has offered me a smile whenever I needed it.
Although at times I have felt a bit of a burden, it mattered little when we got into conversations far more existential than my aching feet would allow me to process, or at those meals where we didn’t exchange a word because of how hungry we were. To you faithful companion, I thank you for encouraging me to do this, for making the path a road, and the road and place to return to.
Nothing equals the satisfaction of reaching that square. Nothing.