2019 … A deeply greener Pasture
One more full day of walking the found me in the town of Orbigo, where I intuitively followed the signs that led to Albergue Verde (The Green Hostel) – not knowing whether I would be received there at all, much less with any open-hearted generosity. The hostel was located more than a ways off the beaten path, and yet its lush gardens and welcoming vibe made what felt like an extra few kilometers well worth the jaunt. Mincho, the head hospitalero of the establishment, met me straight away and listened intently to me tell the tale of my Walk (as usual, including its hows and its whys), and then promptly told me that I was welcome to work for my stay. I gently explained to him that I not only was not allowed to ask for any sustenance during my Pilgrimage, but that I was also not allowed to work in conditional return for anything offered me – in essence that I always gave to others for free, and would only ever accept gifts that were proffered just as unfettered. I ended by telling him that I would joyfully work for him for free, but that I would not be able to stay if that giving was seen by him as any form of payment for room & board. To his credit, he then immediately opened his arms wide, smiled broadly, and bid me a brotherly welcome …
“Here is to all the brilliant Souls who love so deeply, for they co-generate the stories that make us dream of true fellowship and move ever closer to a viable harmony. Here is to all the visionaries who create miracles when others give up hope. Here is to all the artists, musicians, actors, singers, songwriters, dancers, screenwriters, philosophers, inventors and poets who offer a perspective of Heaven we can all experience in this lifetime. And yet most of all, here is to the Wild Souls that the world calls broken or insane or abnormal or weird – here is to those who are seen to be different because they are the ones who have the courage to openly care, to renew our faith in humanity, to be tender without judgment to all those in need. For these are the ones who are generous when they themselves have little, serve ever powerfully whenever they themselves are exhausted, treat strangers with gentleness, and dance to a drum loudly different from the boring droning thump of The Man. Indeed, in a world that so desperately needs fresh signs that the Divine ever thinks on even the least of us, these are the ones who smilingly embody the same.” ~ inspired by Shannon Alder & Mincho
;