Walk “as though your feet are kissing the Earth.”
(Thich Nhat Hanh)
Today we rest.
Our walks have been spectacularly beautiful; the countryside is lush and green and quiet and calm. These walks are long and hard and wet. I have shared the path with my dear friend, Ginger, and with friends newly made. But mainly I have walked alone; at my pace I have looked at everything in slow motion.
Besides the ancient churches and villages, the rolling pastures, babbling streams, oak and chestnut woodlands among the most beautiful things I have encountered was on day four of our journey from Triacastella to Sarria. A young couple has created a lovely enclave; the hippie vibes were evident. Their gift was hospitality and respite providing shelter from the rain, food, drink, rudimentary facilities, a meditation space, a gathering space, and most surprisingly a labyrinth. The stone labyrinth was set in a wooded area and was simply stunning. No payment was required, but donations were appreciated. This couple gave the kind of support people on the path need and asked nothing in return.
Walk “as though your feet are kissing the Earth” – I have been practicing this meditation and trying to live out the advice my trainer gave me: “Relax, everything is easier if you relax,” over the past week as we have journeyed from Ponferrada to Portomarin. My walking has been intentionally slow – to avoid injury and to savor every moment on the path – and in so doing I have perhaps missed out on what our destinations have to offer.
I have discovered that relaxing requires intention and that tension creeps back quickly. It has been far easier to walk “as though my feet are kissing the Earth” when trail is uneven, rocky, and uphill; when you must navigate the terrain and plan the next move and gingerly or perhaps swiftly take that next step. Then walking is more like dancing. The flat open road is in many ways more laborious, and I begin to plod along. The steep downhill stretches provide other challenges and I’ve taken to traversing those bits. With each kind of step, I am happy to have arrived and to be able to take the next. This journey for me is about experiencing the present in ways I haven’t in a long time.
Ultrea et susia! Buen Camino!
Camino Day 6 Rest Day
