02/06/2024 – Walking the walk 10

Day 18 - At our pilgrim table, 2 nights ago, I sat next to Amy, a dental hygienist from Ohio, part of our “rowdy” evening in Frómista. Something she said really stuck with me.

Amy overheard my telling a story of life abroad to another diner.

“You’re saying the rules change wherever you go.” She interjected.

“Of course”, I said, “People are hugely creative. We have a thousand different solutions for life’s common problems.”

Her reply struck a chord: “Your world is too big”. We laughed and pivoted back to her clientele.

It struck me as a moment of profound distance. It was a powerful glimpse into another lived experience, mindset. I thought how acceptance, contentment, fulfilment all involve cultivating the worldviews that match our conditions. And, also, how it is “chicken and egg”. I do think, opportunities permitting, we build the world we want to live in. But, we can only consider the opportunities we 1) see and 2) want/feel able to explore, nor do these always coincide. Neither nature nor nurture is ever finished.

This gave me new context for Neibuhr’s Serenity prayer, my focus on the trail today. I suck at the “wisdom” part. Carey asks me “Why bother?”, “I don’t give a rat’s ass.” By which he means they are just passersby; also he recognizes that nothing in an interaction with him/me will change that person’s mood/ideas/day. We can only hear what we want to hear; see what we want to see. Nevertheless, I always find myself compelled to offer light (“nurture” as I see it) – or else, why was I brought here?

Inevitably, Carey’s almost never wrong, which is where the kicking under the table comes in!

Day 19 – Everything was a lot more interesting today. The scenery was more varied. The sky sported a variety of clouds. The wind swirled, keeping things cool. We are in June. Temperatures are rising. On the positive side, our new hostel has a lovely suntrap terrace, a perfect location for a post-walk beer, as we can attest.

We followed the signage today, which took us off the route as prescribed by the app. We took a wide sweep uphill through farmland, which was pretty, but achieved on a tricky, stony track that engaged all our attention (given our tender soles, dodgy ankles and twingey knees). I stopped to say to Carey, “I haven’t looked up for half an hour. I’m too busy picking my way.” Ironically, that gave us both time to take in the view. Carey stiffened. His arm shot up. I followed his accusatory finger, which was quivering with negative energy. Away, across the fields, was a succession of tiny sunhats processing across the distance. His voice, raw with indignation, Carey said, “Those b*st**ds are walking on the road!” It was the funniest thing I have heard in days.

Walking into town, we passed a huge mural featuring a badly-painted Martin Sheen and the cast of “The Way”. That small-budget film has an outsized influence here.