Day 100i: Renewing the Wonder with Walter … (July 23, 2019)
And so it was that I flowed easily onward, warmly blanketed in the re-remembered knowledge that the Walk was my sustenance, in that my Walk was my gift to the world. And so it was that I smoothly flowed into & through the small villages of Salceda & Cerceda, and so it was that I happened upon a small Path-side donativo stand manned by Walter Ipsale and his lovely canine companion, Flan … Neither of the latter were present when I first came upon the place, and yet the stand had such a peaceful ambience that I chose to rest there nonetheless – a choice that was rewarded well when Walter & Flan returned to their mobile abode shortly thereafter, Walter with a fresh coffee in hand. I sat with them both for awhile – petting Flan while regaling Walter with the hows & whys of my Walk; a telling that was so moving to him that he seamlessly offered me his coffee after its telling. His offering was non-vegan, of course, and so after ardently thanking him for his intend generosity I very gently explained my animal-cruelty-based rejection of the same. Then , to my bewondered surprise, he didn’t take my denial personally in the slightest, but instead got up and went straight back to the nearby coffee stand to purchase me a vegan version thereof instead! And so it was that I hung out with a newfound Friend that day – kindly massaging Flan and jovially conversing with Walter while I gave my aching feet a rest and re-taped the soles of my now well-worn shoes. And then it was time to head onward, and so Walter gave me both an excellent tip for potential lodging in Finisterre (where some friends of his ran a loving hostel) and the warmest hug I have received either before or since, and headed back out onto The Way …
“Pilgrimage is a rediscovery of truth; an affirmation of the age-old promise that humanity is far more beautiful at its core than it is flawed at its surface. Indeed, with each new journey comes a reborn optimism that wherever there is despair and hardship, there are also ideas and people just waiting to be energized, to be empowered, to bring solace to the discord and make a potent difference for Good.” ~ inspired by Dan Thompson
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