What has 29 days of walking across Spain done to me? Well, I certainly have a few more friends who I hope to stay in touch with and modern technology is facilitating this so far. I lost three lbs in weight (the equivalent to a big poo I guess) and my feet are a little more calloused. My tan is slowly fading. I can speak a little more German and a very very small amount of Spanish.
I'm afraid after all that time to think I didn't come to any dramatic conclusions about life, the universe and everything (we all knew it was 42 anyway). I perhaps became a little more agnostic though. Ever since I decided to walk the Camino everything just fell nicely into place and worked for the good. Maybe this was a divine being or maybe this was an attitude somehow instilled in me which saw the good in every situation. Whatever the reason I certainly want to stick some of this in my post Camino life.
You might be wondering how I managed to get from South-West France to North-East Spain without getting lost. The answer is thousands of yellow arrows. In fact I feel a little strange that these are no longer my daily guide and am tempted to spray paint a few on my route to work. Following yellow arrows and listening to 'Over the Rainbow' on my phone a couple of times got me thinking of the Wizard of Oz. Just like Dorothy and her friends many pilgrims on the Camino are searching for something but don't always find it in the way they expect. I guess I didn't know exactly what I was seaching for but the character that most sprung to mind was the Lion who was looking for courage. Two years ago I started my first Nursing job in a Critical Care Unit (CCU) and had to deal with being inexperienced and lacking in knowledge compared to my collegues. My confidence definitely took a big hit and led struggles at work. Although I had gained more confidence by the time I left CCU just before the Camino, completing Camino has given me another real boost. Back in November I made up my mind to walk the Camino and five months later I got to Santiago and have the certificate to prove it. Although Camino has a unique atmosphere of open friendliness I was pleased to be able to converse with so many complete strangers who soon came to feel like family.
Finally I want to go back to some Grafitti on the wall in Jesus' house (Day 19) and the family and friend's I had before Camino.
My housemate actually quoted this to me when I was talking about "finding myself" before I left. This hits the nail on the head but I would switch the word 'place' for 'relationships' (if that isn't too cheesy!). Even before going on Camino I was really touched by the interest and support family and friends gave me (I was especially glad of some step-father, step-daughter bonding). Then whilst I was away I was overwhelmed by how many people followed the blog and all the lovely messages I received. I am super jammy with all the wonderful people I have in my life and after walking to Santiago I can see that now.
So what now? I would like to finsh with a quote from Scottish Neil (the Camino personified)...
'Don't stop walking'
