“All of us have hopes of becoming a poet, an artist, a discoverer, a philosopher, a scientist, and a saint; indeed of possessing the attributes of all these simultaneously. Of course, few are permitted to achieve any of the same in daily life, and yet in bold travel we attain them all. For whenever we […]
I flowed seemingly ever onward that day – into & through the seemingly shut-down towns of Villambistra and Espinosa del Camino and Villafranca Montes de Oca, up & Up & UP thereafter, through landscapes shockingly alternating between arid mountain and lush rain-forest. And just as my next wave of exhaustion began to nestle solidly upon […]
Thereafter I stumble-trod along an acutely-remembered portion of The Way that was as dust-blasted as it was long & lonely; knowing that the next respite was indeed somewhere “just up ahead” and yet seeing no hint or evidence of the same for hour after hour of trudging. And to make matters even more challenging, there […]
These pictures don’t do the moment justice, and yet a HUGE storm started to loom up behind me at this point in my journey; inspiring me quite convincingly to adjust my pace in a “faster” direction – not hurrying away from it in fear, but rather flowing ahead of it in humility … “By early […]
I made it to the tiny town of San Juan de Ortega shortly thereafter, where the hamlet’s only hostel looked at first glance like one that would indeed shelter a peace pilgrim from the coming storm. And yet the hospitaleros therein proved top be as uninviting and as unsympathetic as the “darker” churches nearby, and […]
Fear is a funny thing – fully debilitating when we are focusing on ourselves; fully empowering when faced boldly for others. It was this latter choice that I made on this soon-to-be-calamitous afternoon; a choice that had me harnessing the winds of fear instead of succumbing to the same; a choice that had me easily […]
And so it was that I arrived at tomorrow’s goal today – the lovely town of Ages (pronounced ‘ah-hess’) – just as the rains began to fall and the winds began to pummel … “Like a bold explorer of the heart, mind, and soul I have hurled myself off the shores of my own fears […]
Ages was one of the Camino’s known safe-havens from my past – specifically the small & rustic-yet-warmhearted donativo hostel called Casa Caracol (“House of the Snail”) in which I had stayed back in 2008. And yet search as I might, Casa Caracol was nowhere to be found, and I soon learned from some local folks […]
Once more I was offered a warm, soft bed upon which to lay my head, and once more I quietly & anonymously turned down the same – in favor of saving my fellow pilgrims from my sonorous rumblings by taking refuge on the colder, harder dining hall floor … “These are the many ways we […]
Setting off once more in yet another pre-dawn darkness, I realized with great clarity that – in times of uncertainty, doubt, or confusion – it is only wise to follow the lights that lead one forward along The Way, never the ones that tempt one to remain safely behind … “Often when we have convinced […]
Sometimes the Way will be smooth & clear and sometimes the Way will prove foggy & jagged. And yet no matter the weather or circumstance, always the Way must be walked – one foot in front of the other – one single step at a time – fully immersed in the Path – on the […]
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