Things proceeded more smoothly thereafter, though my pain remained somewhat intense and my spirits remained relatively low – at least until the initial outskirts of the village of Lires, where pilgrim-friend Julio was then gratefully encountered. In turned out that he had made it to Santiago at around the same time as I had, and that he had then left Santiago for the coast on roughly the same day as I had as well, though he had chosen to walk the Santiago-Finisterre-Muxia loop in the opposite direction to the more traditional route I had chosen, so instead of him overtaking me from farther back, I was blessed to look up and see his beaming face approaching me directly (which I guess made our reunion quite literally ‘well-met’). And after seeing his warm smile, hearing his warm words of encouragement, and sharing a warm of hug of friendship & farewell, my back suddenly felt a great deal better, and I was able to much more fluidly flow through Lires and then onward towards Muxia …

“Every man walks his own path, and every path has its fair share of jagged slopes & broken doors. We never know what side-path will avoid the former or who might hold the key to the former. We simply walk on – having faith that both will be seen &/or provided, and knowing that we can ourselves be both or either to whomever we meet along the way … Indeed, there is nothing so rewarding as making others realize that they are not only worthwhile but indeed deeply important to this world … And while it is true that there might not be actual angels on our path, it is just as real that our path is filled with people who might as well be. Refuse to look for the former; choose to be the latter.” ~ inspired by A.J. Darkholme, Bob Anderson & David Foster Wallace

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