99 steps

LGLG

Active Member

Time of past OR future Camino

SJPP - Finisterre (2005) ; LePuy - Muxia (2007) ; Porto - SC. (2009) planning Lourdes- SC (2018)

• Aug 28, 2018

• #1

A Sufi story that keeps me going...,
A devoted Muslim ant wanted to make its pilgrimage to Mecca during the holy month of Ramadan, The problem was, the ant was living in London, and being so small could not even contemplate how many steps it would have to take to get there. Even worse, the ant also suffered from a broken leg...
But committed nevertheless, the ant set off, limping along the streets of London for several days, and as it was looking for food after sunset, it struggled into a brightly lit train station. Having found some discarded crumbs, exhaustion overtook the poor ant and it crawled into a crack for a safe place to sleep amidst all the foot traffic.
As it turned out, the crack was in a suitcase belonging to a Muslim man on his way to ... you guess it, Mecca.
The Sufi lesson ? If you take one step towards God, God takes 99 towards you.
(Use your own version or substitute for the word God, if you like ... but Camino serendipity works exactly like that.)

 

Tincatinker

Veteran Member

Donating Member

Time of past OR future Camino

2012

• Aug 28, 2018

• #2

When I told Grandma I was going to walk to Finis Terre she said asked why. I said it was because that was what we did, our people did, what she'd done. She said "silly b*gger, I asked why are you going to Fisterra."

I think your ant may have had a stronger faith than I did. Thank you for sharing.

 

MinaKamina

Eclipsigrina ~ August 12, 2026

Time of past OR future Camino

Jacobspad 2017

• Aug 28, 2018

• #3

just as well it was an ant and not a bed bug.

 

nycwalking

Veteran Member

Donating Member

Time of past OR future Camino

CF: 2001, 02, 04, 14. Ourense to Santiago 2019.

• Aug 29, 2018

• #4

Beautiful post.

Just what I needed.

 

Albertagirl

Veteran Member

Donating Member

Time of past OR future Camino

Frances; Aragones; VdlP; Madrid-Invierno; Levante

• Aug 29, 2018

• #5

@LGLG
I read your story rapidly and missed the lesson at the end, because I was in the midst of getting a mass of laundry done after our laundry was out of order for weeks. So I saw it a little differently. Yes, I often see myself as small and broken and a determined pilgrim nonetheless. But I also see myself as someone who sometimes has the ability to respond to the brokenness of another pilgrim, perhaps to carry them along their Way for a while. And I believe that we sometimes do this for one another without knowing it. Like all parables, there is a lot of depth in your story. Thank you.

 

D

Deleted member 3000

Guest

• Aug 29, 2018

• #6

It is little known, but centuries ago the snails had
their own camino. They only traveled to Santiago from
about 1 km out, but it still took them several months.
The tale is told of a group of snails that was set
upon by a group of turtle bandits. The turtles beat
the snails and stole their equipment.

The snails moved as quickly as they could to report
the assault to the Guardia Civil. When the policeman
asked the snails for a description of the bandits,
they replied, "We really cannot say. It all happened
so fast."

 

OzAnnie

Veteran Member

Donating Member

Time of past OR future Camino

Oct/Nov 2022_Mozarabe from Almeria

• Aug 29, 2018

• #7

falcon269 said:

It is little known, but centuries ago the snails had
their own camino. They only traveled to Santiago from
about 1 km out, but it still took them several months.
The tale is told of a group of snails that was set
upon by a group of turtle bandits. The turtles beat
the snails and stole their equipment.

The snails moved as quickly as they could to report
the assault to the Guardia Civil. When the policeman
asked the snails for a description of the bandits,
they replied, "We really cannot say. It all happened
so fast."

Click to expand...

You’re the joker but I really loved it.

 

SabsP

Veteran Member

Donating Member

Time of past OR future Camino

some and then more. see my signature.

• Aug 29, 2018

• #8

Thank you @LGLG .

 

chinacat

Veteran Member

Donating Member

• Aug 29, 2018

• #9

So it does, @LGLG .... work like that ...

Thank you ... you have lifted my day, too