I returned to Mahdi’s shop, which was now open for business, and entered in high spirits. After all, Pierre Alain (the wonderful Le Puy hospitalero who had told me about Mahdi some 2 weeks previously) had not only told me that Mahdi was once a Peace Pilgrim of sorts himself (he walked an interfaith peace pilgrimage all the way to Jerusalem back in 2006), but he had even called Mahdi on the phone to tell him what I was doing and to say that I was on my way for a visit. Well, as things are wont to develop on the Camino (and in life itself, actually), my plans & expectations were anything but satisfied that day …

First and foremost, Mahdi was busy with a customer when I entered his tiny shop – and then another customer – and then another. I wasn’t in any hurry, of course, so I simply stood quietly off to the side and patently waited for him to have a free moment. Still, I wondered … And that wondering was confirmed when I finally did get a word in with Mahdi. I greeted him warmly, told him briefly about my Walk, and referenced Pierre Alain who had talked to him about me several days prior. Well, it turns out that Mahdi didn’t remember said phone call at all, and in addition was oddly dismissive of my pilgrimage – and this, even though his customers seemed more than a bit amazed thereby (and even though he had once been a Peace Pilgrim himself) … :O

He did offer me an espresso, which was quite kind, and yet immediately thereafter proceeded to treat my visit like some kind of sideshow for his still-lingering customers – making a show of weighing my tiny bag to see how light it actually was (it weighed 9.7 pounds, by the way), and then effusively gawking over my size 18 Adidas and their surprising resilience … :O … I had been pretty thoroughly humbled by The Path up to this point, so I didn’t take any of his ribbing too seriously, and even jovially played right along with his banter – much to the amusement of his still bewondered guests … 🙂

He then turned away from me and went back to speaking with his customers, so I shrugged my shoulders, thanked him profusely for the pilgrimage he had walked for peace those dozen+ years ago, and started to leave. At that point I think he realized that he was somehow missing out on “the moment”, as he told me to wait and then hurriedly gave me a small blue carabiner (seen in the first comment box below) as a parting gift :O … I didn’t really have any use for such a tiny gadget, and yet a Gift is a Gift is a Gift – so I thanked him with just as much emotion as if he had given me a new pair of trekking socks … 🙂

He still didn’t seem satisfied as I headed for the door, and ended up following me outside, where he pressed a 10 Euro note into my hand and told me to get something to eat. I thanked him profusely, of course, and yet politely declined – explaining that I was never allowed to ask for food while walking, and that I was not allowed to accept or use any money as well. He was understandably flabbergasted by this notion, and pressed the bill back into my hand, telling me to give it to a homeless person if I wanted to. I smiled as I declined once again, and told him that either he would keep his money or I would simply leave it on the sidewalk in front of his store when I left. This upset him mildly, and yet in the end I think I saw Understanding creep across his face as he took the 10 Euros back and returned them to his wallet. I then gave him a warm farewell hug and was once again on my Way … 😀

“There is no exercise better for the Heart than reaching down and lifting someone up – or at the very least allowing them to witness you doing the same for someone else.” ~ anonymous

P.S. This is the blue carabiner Mahdi gave me that day, and it turned out to be one of the more valuable gifts I received on my entire Walk – not because I ever used it (I didn’t – not even once), but rather because it constantly reminded me of a very important Truth: the Truth that any token “giving” – be it from a sense of embarrassment or reciprocation or obligation or duty – has absolutely nothing to do with Generosity at all. Rather, true Giving only occurs when the giver gives past the point of personal comfort or well-being; when the giver gives because he or she truly wants to make another being’s life better or more peaceful in some way. I looked at this carabiner often during the subsequent days of my Walk, and it continued to inspire me to sacrifice my own comfort for others – to thereby truly Give to them, and thereby come to know the profound sense of Peace that only comes from the same. And who knows? Maybe Mahdi indeed “got it” that day after I left, for it was only a few days later that I met another impoverished pilgrim who had met entered Mahdi’s store the day after I had – and Mahdi had gifted him with a brand new (and quite expensive) Marmot raincoat … :O

Filed under: Peace Pilgrimage #02: Walking HOME (2019) by Scaughdt