Day 14a: On knowing The Way … (04/28/2019)
Many folks often wondered how it was that I found my way homeward; how it was that I successfully navigated the multitude of paths & byways that crisscrossed Germany & Switzerland* in a manner that often seemed more randomly helter-skelter than calmly thought-through. Well, the solution proved to be far more simple than commonly supposed. For even though the Germanic lands rarely marked their trails using clear symbols or cardinal directions, they did frequently cite and direct one towards a variety of towns up ahead. And so it was that I simply looked at a map of Europe before I set out, found mid-sized cities that I knew lay on or near the path that led towards Le Puy en Velay (a major commencement hub for the primary Camino de Santiago pilgrimage route upon which I ultimately intended to walk), and then continued to walk in the direction of those townships. I had learned before setting forth that Mullheim was one of the same — a small city in southwestern Germany where The Way splits into two major tributaries (one westward into France through the city of Mulhouse, and another southward into Switzerland through the border town of Weil am Rhein), and while my plans to take the former alternative were amusingly thwarted (more on that in a few days’ time), I did find my way to the Mullheim crossroads with only a relatively small amount of difficulty.
“If you act for self-gain then no lasting Good can come of it. On the other hand, if you act selflessly, then peace and good fortune will always be born as a result. Of course, just as the former is ever easy and tempting, the latter is always difficult and fear-full. As such, to act well you must do so boldly for others despite despair or dis-ease.” ~ inspired by Rand Miller
*Once I reached France, The Way became much more clearly marked, and indeed proved easier & easier to find & follow the farther I walked towards the Spanish coast.
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