Day 05d: It’s only Pain … (04/19/19)
“I just set out a few hours ago and I can already feel massive blisters forming on both feet. The same doesn’t matter, of course, as A) acute discomforts, especially those arriving during the early phases of any undertaking, are to be seen as tests of resolve, and never signs to bail or change course, and B) I have constructed this Walk to provide no safety nets — no backdoors through which to quit or water down the quest. I would never abandon the thousands of people for whom I am walking this pilgrimage, of course, AND I can’t turn back now even if I wanted to.
Yes, this pilgrimage inspires my deepest primal fears to continually creep to the fore, and yet it is ever my choice to see them as merely that — fears of what could be, not assessments of what is.
*How can my older and significantly less-fit body keep doing this for the next 5+ months? Remember: It is only pain.
*Where will my next meal come from each day (or when will it come, or will it come at all)? Remember: It is only hunger.
*Where will I sleep tonight (especially these days, when the evenings are still cold and the threat of rain is frequent)? Remember: It’s only fatigue.
*What if I fail and cannot complete the Great Task at hand? Remember: I have already set forth with bold selflessness, and as such I have already fully succeeded.” ~ excerpt from Day 05 of my pilgrimage journal (April 19,2019)
The well man has 1000 wishes, and that is why he suffers … (When blessed, share your Blessings.)
The sick man has but one wish, and that is why he suffers. (When cursed, let your dis-ease empower your acts of Kindness.)
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