Wanderwoman2
New Member
- Time of past OR future Camino
- May 2023
Hello all! Just a little follow up to my post a few months back on whether it was too soon to second Camino a year after the first. The answer was a resounding no! I got a cheap flight and found myself with no reason not to go to France and try the Via Podiensis.
As most people probably are aware April was a month of rain and sometimes snow! But when I was watching the weather ahead of time, I reminded myself I don't go on Camino to be comfortable. I go for the challenge, the adventure and the journey. And I'm so glad I did.
My first Camino (Frances) prepared me to be able to stay in the moment, to trust that everything will work out the way it's supposed to and to realize that there are no wrong choices. That training really helped me to settled into my second Camino with a peaceful heart.
On my first Camino, I confronted the things in myself that weren't making me happy, I hit the wall of myself and with this forum's support, I overcame and found a new way of approaching the Camino and then my life. On the Camino, I found community and learned that I loved and needed people. I found that God existed in the space between me and you. I found healing. My heart opened.
When I went home, I was depressed! And I think in a way, so much had come from the journey that I needed to power down and let myself process it. All I did was watch French shows, practice duolingo, and fantasize about running away to Europe.
So I came to Le Puy not knowing what would come up but secretly hoping to find a way to stay in France. While I loved wandering through snowflurries and rainy forests, while I met people who added pieces to the puzzle of my life without knowing it, while I helped hurting pilgrims and was embraced and led by others, while the moment in Conques with an evening classical performance and corsican chants was the most perfect moment I've known, what I am really taking from this experience is a deep and heartfelt gratitude for the life I have today and the person I am today. Which is such a change from a year ago!
Because unbeknownst to me, everything I found on the Camino I started building at home. When I came home, I let the people in my life know how I was doing. I let them into my heart, I was vulnerable, I deepened friendships and participated more and I started to build my community. I began volunteering and found that God-between-us relationship with the women I get to serve.
Home is now a place I love and belong to and I know is where I have everything I need. I am no longer in my own way, pushing myself, hurting myself, hating myself like I did when I arrived in SJPDP that first time.
My second Camino, I cried in nearly every church and everyday, tears of gratitude and cleansing. I know I had to come back to take the next steps on the path I began last year and to see how profoundly my life and heart have been changed from my first Camino. It never gives you what you're looking for, always gives you what you need
Thank you to all the Pilgrims here who offer guidance and support! I wouldn't have come this far without you all
As most people probably are aware April was a month of rain and sometimes snow! But when I was watching the weather ahead of time, I reminded myself I don't go on Camino to be comfortable. I go for the challenge, the adventure and the journey. And I'm so glad I did.
My first Camino (Frances) prepared me to be able to stay in the moment, to trust that everything will work out the way it's supposed to and to realize that there are no wrong choices. That training really helped me to settled into my second Camino with a peaceful heart.
On my first Camino, I confronted the things in myself that weren't making me happy, I hit the wall of myself and with this forum's support, I overcame and found a new way of approaching the Camino and then my life. On the Camino, I found community and learned that I loved and needed people. I found that God existed in the space between me and you. I found healing. My heart opened.
When I went home, I was depressed! And I think in a way, so much had come from the journey that I needed to power down and let myself process it. All I did was watch French shows, practice duolingo, and fantasize about running away to Europe.
So I came to Le Puy not knowing what would come up but secretly hoping to find a way to stay in France. While I loved wandering through snowflurries and rainy forests, while I met people who added pieces to the puzzle of my life without knowing it, while I helped hurting pilgrims and was embraced and led by others, while the moment in Conques with an evening classical performance and corsican chants was the most perfect moment I've known, what I am really taking from this experience is a deep and heartfelt gratitude for the life I have today and the person I am today. Which is such a change from a year ago!
Because unbeknownst to me, everything I found on the Camino I started building at home. When I came home, I let the people in my life know how I was doing. I let them into my heart, I was vulnerable, I deepened friendships and participated more and I started to build my community. I began volunteering and found that God-between-us relationship with the women I get to serve.
Home is now a place I love and belong to and I know is where I have everything I need. I am no longer in my own way, pushing myself, hurting myself, hating myself like I did when I arrived in SJPDP that first time.
My second Camino, I cried in nearly every church and everyday, tears of gratitude and cleansing. I know I had to come back to take the next steps on the path I began last year and to see how profoundly my life and heart have been changed from my first Camino. It never gives you what you're looking for, always gives you what you need
Thank you to all the Pilgrims here who offer guidance and support! I wouldn't have come this far without you all
