At the crest of the previously summited mount, I had been told by fellow pilgrim Ferdinand (once again well met) that I had officially arrived at the famed Maseta – a huge, flat, dry, and dusty plateau; the northern portion of which was traversed by roughly 200km of the Camino Frances upon which I was walking. While no fan of dry & dusty, my hips and knees very soon began to rejoice at the path’s lack of steepness (or even undulation), and my tempo gently – almost effortlessly – escalated accordingly. Despite this newfound physical fluidity, I did still appreciate the smattering of rest-stops & oases encountered along the Way, though I intentionally did not stop at the one pictured here, out of respect to the Japanese couple who were clearly soaking in more profound reverie there …

“As you grow up, remember to always tell the truth, to always avoid harming others, and to ever recall that you are simultaneously the most and the least important being on Earth – the former because you can intentionally act as the latter; caring for all others encountered; giving them all you have to give, and treating every space entered like the guest you ever are. In this way, rich or poor – honored or despised – popular or anonymous, you can look every fellow being in the eye and say – in thought more than word, and in action more than thought, ‘While I am most certainly your equal in every important regard, in all those same ways I am truly no better or more worthy than you.” ~ inspired by Harper Lee

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