A "moveable feast" tradition

[mspath]

Dan White in this Wahington Post article published 06/06/21 gives an American meaning to the idea of "a moveable feast".

However perceptive readers may "see" similarities with luxurious trends/ demands on the camino.

https://www.washingtonpost.com/outlook/2021/06/06/luxurious-full-service-picnics-are-new-spin-an-old-american-tradition/

 

[Robo]

@mspath Do you really think it's getting that bad on the Camino Routes?
Sure I haven't been since 2018. And the CF was noticeably more popular than my '1st time' in 2015.
But I'm not sure I really saw many looking for a luxury experience?
Other than the minibus groups on the last 100 kms of course

 

[VNwalking]

Indeed.

resulting in backlash when entitled pleasure seekers mobbed the Adirondacks, got chomped by black flies and found themselves tromping through mud and muck

Sounds familiar. Certainly not always but complaints in albergues sometimes have a similar tone of aggrieved entitlement, railing against nature being nature and humans being humans.

 

[mspath]

As you know I have not walked a full camino since 2014; however during the 10 years that I did new demands were obvious.
Some thought that they were owed/due a better whatever as if it were their right; others saw the camino simply as a check mark on a bucket list.

One recent prepared "moveable feast + bed" is described in this earlier post.

 

[naplesdon]

My definition of the "moveable feast" is planning stops at some of Spain's top rural restaurants for numerous long afternoon menu del dia with the local wine. There are quite few on the CF.

 

[SabsP]

As you know I have not walked a full camino since 2014; however during the 10 years that I did new demands were obvious.
Some thought that they were owed/due a better whatever as if it were their right; others saw the camino simply as a check mark on a bucket list.

One recent prepared "moveable feast + bed" is described in this earlier post.

Agreed @mspath.
I know it may sound too semantic but I do dislike the fact that people think about the Camino in terms of a bucket list.

 

[VNwalking]

I know it may sound too semantic but I do dislike the fact that people think about the Camino in terms of a bucket list.

It's not semantic, actually, because using that term describes (or at least implies) intention. And I share that response.

But fortunately, intention is not fixed - the motivation bringing us to the camino is not the same as the one that keeps us going, nor as the one we carry into the Plaza in Santiago.

I often wonder how many bucket-listers become dedicated pilgrims step by step.

 

[MichaelB10398]

The linked article sets my mind afire with a wide range of thoughts. My first reaction was completely unrelated to the topic. I grew up farming - planting and harvesting crops, raising animals, collecting eggs from the chicken coop, filling the freezer with meat from some of the animals we raised, and eating what we raised in our garden. Yet, the people who want to talk to me about how nature works so often are those that have only lived in concrete jungles and don't know the first thing about the soil, farming, etc. It is a pet peeve of mine and an old soap box.

I don't really concern myself too much with what motivates others to go on Camino or what their current Camino is like. The Camino is a force that works on the individual over time. She will call and many respond quickly. There are others that just take more time, but she continues to call to them. There are others that will never hear the call. I know of too many examples of today's offensive individual is tomorrow's humble saint that is there when they are most needed.

Wealth can often be a soul-destroying force for most of us. I recognize that there is a difference between those who are desperate for human interaction due to the pandemic's forced isolation and those wealthy individuals who think they are getting a taste of nature by spending an obscene amount just to have a picnic outdoors.

This thread motivates me think "small". Small in the sense of responding to the moment at hand and being a source of peace and joy for others. Invite my neighbor over for a piece of cake or to share in our dinner. Remember to smile to those who serve me at the grocery store and to express gratitude often. I need to focus on others rather than myself.

 

[VNwalking]

Small in the sense of responding to the moment at hand and being a source of peace and joy for others. Invite my neighbor over for a piece of cake or to share in our dinner. Remember to smile to those who serve me at the grocery store and to express gratitude often. I need to focus on others rather than myself.

Amen.