A journey against quite a few odds

[Liv Marit]

Hi !

I am leaving for the Camino in two days. And I am terrified ! :shock:

The last weeks, my one foot - more specifically mye big toe - has caused me a lot of concern and problems. It some times hurt moving the foot, and the of course walking on it. I have seen doctor, physiotherapist, and all kind of foot-treatment. No one can say what is wrong, or what to do with it.

Well, I had to options. One - go, and pray for a miracle, hoping to fulfill this trip I have been planning so long. Two - not go, and loose my money for the really expensive plane-ticket. And spend my vacation at home, feeling sorry for my self.

The first sounds nicer, don't you think ?

But I am scared that I will not be able to walk, and miss out on the good companionship amongst my fellow pilgrims. Then five weeks can be a really long time.

I am leaving on Saturday, for a few quiet days in Santo Domingo de la Calzada, and slowly try to walk my way to Santiago. And pray that it will be a path of roses anyway.

Looking forward to - hopefully - see some of you guys along the way.

Liv

 

[Ulysse]

I arrive in Burgos from Montreal on September 5 and start my walk on the 6th. I should be in front of the cathedral around 8 am.

I have a small Quebec flag (fleurs de lys) on my backpack.

If you get there we could walk part of the way together. Hope to see you.

In any event buen camino Liv !

 

[Marjeanne]

Hello Liv,
Your feelings are not unusual. It is so common to be afraid of what we don't know, and we are afraid because we assume it will be something bad we can't deal with.
You decided to go and check it out. Good for you ! If you listen to your body and that little voice within you will know what to do, when to rest, how long to walk each day. Your whole trip may turn out to be quite different to how you had planned and imagined it and I am sure you will meet lovely people along the way.
Be open to the adventure.
I hope the problem will be resolved and I wish you well
Marjeanne

 

[bjorgts]

All good wishes!

All good wishes for you! Nobody on this forum can solve yuor problem, but a lot of prayers and good wishes will follow you on your way. If you are open to different solutions you will find your way. One month before I should go for my first two weeks on the cmino in 2003, my knee became hopeless. I had to use crutches and sat in a chair most of the time. Absolutey no training at all. And so ...? I did not got the camino-walk I had planned, but I got a camino-walk. Many days we shorted the distance by taking a bus for some kilometers and walking some kilometers. Then we did not lose contact with our fellow-walkers. Still the distences for each day was much less than I had planned and much less than what I have been walking later. But I learned to enjoy the life at all the small placas in the villages in the afternoon. I learned that I could manage even though my knee was aching, and I learned to respect my limits. Was eveything OK then? No. But I have kept on coming back....

We had desided that if I could not continue after some days, we would take a brake and go to an interesting town or to the cost if the weather was nice or anything else like that, instead of staying home beeing sad. We did not do that, but it helped me relax a bit, even though I was very sad actually when we started.

I hope you will be there for your five weeks! I hope you can walk most of the way you have planned! I hope you find the good solutions if you can not do all that you have planned!

Riktig god vandring! Nå står du på bønnelista mi. Bjørg

 

[ivar]

Ha en flott camino Liv Marit. God tur!

Ivar

 

[JohnM]

Dear Liv

And I thought I was the only one.

As I write, I am in bed trying to recover from a pulled muscle in my back. I injured myself at home the day before I was supposed to leave!

I have rescheduled for 5 Sept and like you I'm a little worried I won't make it.

But I now intend to lighten my backpack further and go slower. The rest is in the hands of higher powers.

I wish you all the very best on your camino. Remember we can only do what we can and sometimes the Camino doesn't end in Santiago. It may be before, it may be after. I hope however long your journey is that it is rewarding for you.

My prayers go with you.

Buen camino
John

 

[Liv Marit]

Thank you all for the nice and comforting words !

Hope to meet up with you, Ulysse !

I know in my heart that if the Camino doesn't get the way I planned, it will still go as it is meant to be. That is a comforting thought. My foot feels better today, and my backpack is ready. A bit heavier than I hoped it would be, but I can forward some stuff to Santiago if I need. I guess that will be easy to arrange at the post-office.

I will now go to bed, and sleep well until I must get to the airport VERY early tomorrow.

Buen camino to all other pilgrims, current, former and future !

Liv