Aiding by having literally nowhere else to go (and the staunch guideline I had adopted of “never walking back” the way I had already come), I persisted onward & onward that very late afternoon – further and further away from The Way; deeper and deeper into the lush-but-vacant wilderness of that part of France … And yet, as is so often the case in walking & living, my persistence paid off, and I finally saw the entrance sign for Gite La Bayssade.* I walk-limped my way up the main drive, humpled up to the compound’s main house, and was met by nothing but silence – a silence that emanated not only from the house upon which I repeatedly knocked, but a silence that was heard throughout the entire establishment. Indeed, the place was completely deserted, and I really didn’t know what to do. Of course, the late time of day and my immense fatigue meant that I knew I wasn’t going anywhere else that evening, so I simply sat down on the place’s back patio and waited – either for the owners to return from wherever they were, or for sleep to eventually enfold me and turn that same chair into my impromptu bed for the night … :O

“Concerning challenge: ask not that there be no trials or tribulations in life, for when one is never tested, one’s actions become irresolute. And when one’s actions become irresolute, one is easily led into believing in the myths of ‘good enough’ and ‘but for’ … Action without difficulty is meaningless, and all the promises from the ego are made to be broken.” ~ unknown

(*It was around 7:30 pm when I finally arrived!)

P.S. Finding this on the deserted hostel’s front porch didn’t lift my spirits much either … 😉

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