The day had grown quite long indeed by the time I made it to the outskirts of Puente Villarente, where the very first albergue I encountered (Delfin Verde – The Green Dolphin) heard of my Walk and took me in without hesitation. Most of the other pilgrims there were already starting to bed down for the night, so I showered and washed my clothes and headed over to the hostels’ adjacent restaurant/bar to simply sit and be and write. Abel, the owner of the establishment, soon came over to speak with me and asked if I wanted to work in the kitchen for some food. I explained the selfless nature of my Walk – that I not only was not allowed to ask for any food, but that I was also not allowed to rob others of the perfect Joy of providing the same by in any way working for the same. He didn’t quite comprehend this relatively profound concept (very few capitalists do at first glance), but it became a bit clearer when I told him that I indeed would be happy to work for him in the kitchen – as long as I received nothing at all in return. He was shocked by my offer and immediately rejected the same, and yet to his credit immediately woke to the Truth of it all – at least enough to graciously tell me to sit down and eat something for free. It was always a Joy to see folks reawaken to selflessness in such a fashion – to see the sheer Joy wash over them while they gave to another in need without any chance of receiving anything in return. Such was the case for Abel and his co-workers on that evening, and I have faith that he might well still imbue at least a vestige of the pure generosity he showed me that night into his encounters to this very day.

“Sacrifice is an essential part of any well-lived life; never something to regret or resent – always something to pay homage to & be grateful for.” ~ inspired by Mitch Albom

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