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Lessons from the Camino (abstract)
I can't remember a time in
my life when haven't searched for a challenge. I
have dived with sharks, parachuted (Freefall),
skydived over Rio, been on safari and watched an
elephant charge our jeep and one of my great
loves - I completed an Ironman Triathlon.
However, my life was changed
forever when I undertook a journey alone, a
dream - walking from Roncesvalles
(French/Spanish border) to Santiago, some 700kms
on the other side of Spain. - the pilgrimage
known as the Camino de Santiago had been a dream
of mine for many years. So, without much
planning and even less preparation I left my
wife (with her permission) and head across to
Spain for two months.
I started my trip
with the following:
- 18kg Backpack - filled
with everything I needed and then some.
- The most expensive, all
encompassing hiking boots available on the
planet
- All encompassing, all
weather jacket
- Basic fitness (I was fit
- but try walking 25km everyday for 30 days)
When I eventually reached
Santiago I had the following with me:
- 8kg Backpack with only
essential clothes, a book and a MP3 player
- A basic pair of walking
shoes
- Basic, light all weather
jacket
I remember being nervous, excited, enthralled
about the journey in front of me. Being
extremely competitive by nature I couldn't help
myself - I needed to compare with those also
around me and taking the journey. I couldn't
help myself - I wanted to walk faster, carry
more, be more focussed than the other people who
had decided to follow the same path as me. For
the first five days I struggled - at one point I
could barely walk (spraining my ankle coming
down a hill outside of Pamplona.
So what did I learn:
Lesson 1. Don't carry too much baggage
On your life journey you
simply can't carry too much baggage - you just
can't make the distance carrying the baggage,
you will probably make yourself sick and it's
just difficult to learn and experience new and
wonderful adventures.
I tried to carry everything, I wanted to carry
everything - in the end it would have almost
killed me. The ability to let things go is one
of the most amazing and profound lessons I have
ever learnt.
Lesson 2. Travel at your own pace
You have to walk at your
own pace - the moment you start to compete
against anyone else (they have better clothes,
are faster walkers, better backpack....yada yada
yada) you will only do yourself harm. The moment
winning or being better than others becomes your
priority, the entire journey stops and a mind
game begins - one in which no-one can ever win -
from my perspective you miss the beauty of the
journey, the most amazing relationships
Lesson 3. It's about the journey
I so wanted to finish -
that was my primary and driving goal; reach
Santiago...but the most amazing part of the trip
was the entire journey, every step, every sight,
every smell, every friendship, every thought.
That is what made this one of the greatest
adventures of my life.
Lesson 4. People
I naturally trust others - I
believe that people are essentially good and
will always want to help. On my journey, I met
so many wonderful, amazing, incredible people
from all walks of life. All these strangers,
helping, sharing, supporting each other - all in
a new country for most. And everyone wanting
essentially the same thing
Lesson 5. Faith
At some time you just have
to trust that the journey you are on is right,
that it has meaning - if if you aren't aware of
it at the time - especially if you aren't aware
of it at the time...having faith is everything.
I'm always happy to share my thoughts and
experiences of the Camino...just contact me at
mc@camino.com.au
Regards
Michael
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