Day 106q: An unabandoned Amour … (July 29, 2019)
It wasn’t long thereafter that, with the rainbow having faded and the day’s sunlight beginning to wane and the day’s shadows beginning to lengthen, I finally made my way into Vilaserio proper and pulled up to the town’s Municipal Albergue – a run-down and amenity-free building that still served as a donativo refuge for pilgrims in deed. Upon entering its open doors, I was immediately greeted by a jubilant group of scouts from Barcelona who were walking the Camino together. They were understandably a bit taken aback by my large & scruffy presence at first, and yet kindness once again eventually burned through the original angst, and I was given not only a series of kind words of encouragement for my journey, but a kind offering of a portion of their dinner as well (the latter of which I gratefully ate in peaceful, sunset-lit solace on the hostel’s front porch, ingeniously using the pasta-sauce carton provided as a makeshift spoon) …
“It is an age-old custom that men of good-intentions who have the means & the will to do so stud the land around smaller villages with fine groves and wells for the sustenance & comfort of all travelers … Hospitality in such a selfless fashion means primarily the creation of free space where any & every stranger might enter and instantly become a friend instead of an enemy. Hospitality of this pure type is never offered to change people, but rather to give them an unconditioned space where positive transcendence (or at the very least profound healing) can take place. It is not given to bring others over to our side, but rather to offer a raw expression of compassion that is undisturbed by dividing lines of any kind … And this is my similar day-to-day doctrine: Give every other sentient being every right you claim for yourself. Keep your mind open to the influences of Nature’s interconnectedness. Receive all new thoughts with humility, and ever advance towards Love.” ~ inspired by Mukta Singh-Zocchi, Henri Nouwen & Robert Ingersoll
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