Post-Camino blues already starting

[Rich1]

I’ve been on Camino 6 times
I’ve finished in Santiago 3 times
I love the Camino, it is a wonderful place, a wonderful experience.
I am never happier than when I am on Camino.
But now I am feeling sad
Yesterday, we arrived in Burgos, the endpoint of this year’s Camino. I’m now sitting in Bar Babia, opposite the municipal albergue, drinking my final glass of vino tinto before starting in the trip home.
I am already feeling sad about leaving this wonderful place, saying goodbyes to so many new friends, going back to a life less peaceful.
I try to make my life a Camino, to take this spirit home with me but it never seems to work for very long.
I try to take all that I learnt, all the advice given, and hold on to the Camino happiness.
But I know that the next few days will become increasingly sad. So I will look at pictures, think about all those I met, the laughter, the tears, the tostados, the bocadillo’s and the vino tinto...and I will smile...and start planning next year’s Camino
Buen Camino to all

 

[Turga]

I hear you brother!

 

[Rj7797]

I am ~2 and a half years removed and still have days where I feel exactly like you do. Hang in there.

 

[linkster]

@Rich1 I have experienced much the same at the end of each of my Caminos. I have learned that this is just a phase and will pass over time. I miss my family and friends back home while I am on the Camino, but I miss the Camino and my Camino family when I return home. I usually need a little time and patience from my family and friends when I return home before I feel truly connected again back home. I feel that I leave a piece of me on each Camino, and long to return.

So what do I do?
I do not isolate myself when I return home. I try to engage family and friends. I try to talk less about my experiences on the Camino with them, and try to immerse myself in their world (what happened while I was gone). We all know they want the abbreviated version of the Camino anyway.

I also keep in touch with my Camino family swapping stories, pics, etc. They are part of my family and friends network. Plus they are experiencing the same re-introduction back home. I call many of them when I am out for my morning walk. It helps me to maintain a little semblance of the Camino.

I clean my kit and pack it away (insight on my office floor ... it is never far away and acts like a security blanket). I memorialize my Camino ... making notes and organizing my pictures. I start planning my next Camino within days or weeks of returning home. Like a painting it starts with broad strokes that get refined over time. The detail and the picture becomes clearer, and clearer. I read here on the forum and watch YouTube videos. I am taking hospitalero training next month. I cannot hide my obsession, and choose to embrace it. BUT, I am also mindful that I need to live in the now at home!

I know that I am nearing the end of the transition when I start doing some chores around the house that I have not been instructed to do.

Someone sent me this article after I completed my first Camino that resonated with me. Short easy read that you may find interesting. Why Moments Are Meant To Be Fleeting

I hope you find peace in the real world until your next Camino! ¡Buena suerte!

 

[easygoing]

"I hope you find peace in the real world until your next Camino! ".
Maybe the Camino is the real world and that is why we miss it so much.
I believe life is meant to be enjoyed and everyone you meet has something to offer. It is easy to lose this at home but that doesn't make home more real.
I speak this while in Burgos drinking Vino Tino on my 9th camino. My life back home has become less rushed but still I return to Spain because I find nothing I enjoy more than walking miles every day in the Spanish sunshine. Life is short

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