Imagine that you have 5 weeks in front of you without emails, texts, or phone calls, without TV or an ipod, no driving or traffic, no family needs or household chores, no job demands, no volunteer responsibilities, and no appointments. Your only responsibility or goal for each day is to walk...in nature.
What I discovered when I stripped away these normal “distractions” in life was that I was left with myself! It was as if the “onion layers” were peeled very quickly and there “I” was, and there “clarity” was in my thoughts and feelings. Beautiful! Healing flourished from this space of presence and clarity.
For me, being in nature was a key element in my pilgrimage, as nature always seems to support and nourish my internal journey. The peace and harmony of nature grounded me. In nature, I would find myself overcome with feelings of beauty, of gratitude, and of joy. I also loved tuning in to the realities of other living creatures, like cows and sheep, ants and birds. I was fascinated by a spider’s web, or the snail “fiestas” on the anise plants. I was tickled to eat food from its source: sweet and juicy wild blackberries, almonds, (chestnuts, which I could do without!), figs, apples, pears, sunflower seeds, and grapes. And, I never tired of the incredible sunrises and sunsets, the mountain vistas, the rivers, or the vineyards. Thank you Mother Earth for your beauty and sustenance!
An unexpected common experience for many of us pilgrims was the desire to avoid the bigger cities. When you are in nature for the majority of your time and then enter a city, you can feel the energetic overstimulation of city life. Your senses and attention are pulled externally. I was amazed at my immediate consumerism response in the cities...I would want an outfit I saw in a store window, rather than being satisfied with the two outfits I had packed and found functional and plenty in nature!
...to be continued!
Buen Camino!
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