I’ve arrived, virtually, at Santiago de Compostela. The cathedral is the traditional terminus for the Camino de Santiago pilgrimage, unless you are going on to Finisterre, at the Atlantic Ocean.
That I’ve arrived is a celebration, but it’s not a Woooooo Hoooooo jump-up-and-down kind of a thing.
I expected it to be much more of a celebratory feeling of accomplishment, having walked 491 miles (790 kilometers).
That it isn’t a fist-pumping hurrah, I think, is because the process of walking and the practices of being present in the moment and of savoring joy have meant so much more to me than the accomplishment of reaching my destination.
This virtual pilgrimage was tremendously valuable for me.
It was the right thing, at the right time, even though I could not have pin-pointed why, at the beginning.
The “why” revealed itself along the way.
My Camino pilgrimage helped me get more in touch with the joys of my life.
But there are so many other gifts along the way also.
In the times where I felt a bit knocked off my feet by life events (for example, when I broke my knee), I remembered that I was a pilgrim, and I asked myself:
- What would a pilgrim do?
- How does thinking my life as a pilgrimage help me now?
Thinking of myself and any situation in this way helped me feel more grounded, balanced, and resourceful. It helped me remember that all is well, in spite of what conditions might look like in any moment. It helped me remember who I am at my core.
We are all pilgrims of life, any time that we intentionally choose how to be.
Our lives are a pilgrimage, when we think of our life journey as a walk with a purpose.
So I have completed my virtual Camino de Santiago pilgrimage, but I am still a pilgrim of life, and I can still think of my life as a pilgrimage, a walk with intention.
I hope I will always remember what it is to be a pilgrim. That will help me be the person I want to be, and to live in the way that I want to live.
How do you want to live?
Leave a Reply