Camino Daze May 2017 – Day 8

Day 8 – Time to Follow my Heart.. and Lighten my Load

(AKA – A Different Kind of  Day Off)

I have been struggling, for many years now, with some general health challenges, mostly related to finding a nutritional and exercise lifestyle that supports my being the healthy vibrant person I know I can be.  More recently (about 6 months ago) I was struck with a different kind of health challenge – I somehow sustained a rotator cuff injury in my left shoulder, making my left arm practically useless and causing me excruciating pain in doing very simple (daily) tasks like dressing myself, washing my hair, or opening a jar.  I have been doing physical therapy for about 5 months now, with great improvement in range of motion and strength in my left shoulder, so I am happy to say that I am probably 80-85% back to “normal.”  However, I have been feeling very stuck in this “last mile” of my healing process – everything seems to take so much effort, and so much time, with seemingly very little or no apparent progress!  The long-term health challenge and goal of manifesting and maintaining that perfect “system” for a healthy and happy body-mind-heart also still seems to be eluding me after so many years of this “self-help journey!”  Today, as I sat at my computer to continue writing about my Camino Daze, I took some time to contemplate the many blessings this particular day of the journey brought me, and I finally re-membered!  Sometimes you just got to take a day off… a day off from the drill… a day off from having to be perfect… a day off from having to do what’s expected (by me or any one else)… a day off from living for that some day in the future when everything will be perfect! Just BE HERE NOW… and ENJOY LIFE AS IT IS showing up in the moment.

This is kind of what happened for me on Day 8 of my Camino walk in 2017 – I had a day off from having to do what any “real self-respecting Pilgrim” would do.  I gave myself permission to take a day off from carrying my big backpack to our next night’s stay in Astorga.  I admit, my sister and Debbie had to twist my arm a bit to convince me it would be OK to give myself a “day off” and pay to have my pack portaged to the next town.  Initially I resisted… it was already going to be a much shorter day than the previous one, I was feeling well rested after my wonderful Shiatsu treatment and fabulous Pilgrim dinner the night before, and the sun was shining so brightly and warmly on our path leading out of the Albergue Verde early that morning.  “I should be able and willing to heft my own load for this whole Camino Journey,” “Be a Real Pilgrim,” I told myself, “Don’t wimp out now!”  And then my Heart spoke up and re-minded me that this could be a day to walk in the Now, be present in Gratitude, and enjoy the beauty and grace of this part of my Journey with a much lighter load on my back!  Hallelujah! This would be a day to be Present with myself (right where I am) and enjoy the surroundings of this mystical path I am traveling.  All is truly well on the Path where my Heart leads me every step of the way.  I set aside my “foolish Pilgrim pride” that day (as I choose to do again today), and let myself Be Perfectly Present, just as I am, in the little moments that make up each day.

Excerpt from my Journal:

Saturday, May 13 (~10 mi) – Hospital de Órbigo to Astorga

Walking was much easier and enjoyable for me today as I had my pack sent forward to the albergue in Astorga where we planned to stay.  Learning some trust…  Damp and green, but no rain until after reaching town.

Great stop on top of a hill, “Donativo David,” before descending into the valley.  David had watermelon, as well as other fruits, juices of all varieties, coffee, cookies & jam, and a fresh out of the oven traditional “Spanish Omelet” – only this time it was spiced with fresh green chile (the first, and the last green chile I had since leaving New Mexico)!

 

 

We can smell the chocolate already!

Once we made it to Astorga, we all lunched on their famously extraordinary chocolate, and finally located our albergue, San Javier – where my pack was waiting for me!  We saw many castle-like churches today – including the one in Astorga designed and built by Gaudi.  Astorga is not only famous for its chocolate, but was also a source of gold for the Roman Empire, who also apparently used the area as a resort – we saw the partial archeological excavation of a Roman Bath House in the middle of town.  The center of Astorga sits on top of a hill surrounded by a great stone wall like a fortress – beautiful views of the rural valley below from the hilltop park.  We all did a little shopping here as Astorga is a large enough town to have more amenities  – saw the world’s biggest backpack in front of the outdoor gear store where Marcia and I each bought a pair of (way too expensive) rain pants – we were anticipating that the weather would just be getting wetter from here on out.  To bed early again for early start on a long uphill day tomorrow!

 

 

We needed a bigger pack for all that chocolate!

THOUGHT FOR TODAY: 

Humility is the better part of Valor, learning that less can be better, quality over quantity (even when it comes to chocolate!), and giving oneself a day off from having to be the perfect pilgrim on Life’s Journey can be a very good thing now and again.  Perfection is the Gift that comes when I accept my human imperfections with grace and humility.

What gifts did your Camino bring you TODAY?  (Please share your thoughts below in “Leave a Reply” Box)