The Contrary Way - Day 8 Ground Rush.

[suekenney]

The Contrary Way
An Inspirational Guide to the journey back to yourself.

Day 8 Ground Rush

A tractor carrying a load of manure passes me on the path. It smells. A villager stops to talk to me. She is dressed in old clothes with a scarf around her neck cut from the cloth of blue work overalls that most manual laborers wear here. She speaks very little English so the conversation is short.

I've stopped asking people where the next village is because it doesn't matter how far it is anymore, I'm going to walk there regardless. I'm practising letting go and allowing the Camino to guide me. A lesson I've learned before. In life, I'm trying to let go too. To be alert on my journey so that I can make choices about how to get back to myself. I believe we are given a path BUT we have a choice about how we journey. If you just live the life you are dished out, how dull. Didn't Mother Teresa choose to work with the poorest of this world? Maybe she was guided in some way but definitely she choose to do it. That's enough about choices.

What's ground rush?

When I was in Triacastella, I stayed in the private albergue at the end of town. (it was at the beginning for me) Forgot the name of it. Doesn't matter. Only 6 euros. A woman in the bunk bed across from mine started talking to me as I lay resting after a long day of walking. I sat up and introduced myself. She was from Denmark and had been walking for almost 4 weeks. Then she blurted out, "The Camino is rushing at me." I thought she was going to start crying. She went on to say so many things happened to her, illness, blisters and an injury. She said that it seemed like it was all coming to an end too fast. She only had 7 or 8 days of walking left and she was sad about arriving in Santiago. Funny eh? You walk all that way and then you don't want to get there. I wonder how many times I've done this in my life? Gotten to where I wanted to go and then stopped myself from getting there. Sabotage.

I told her a story about when I did a parachute jump. (read the full version in My Camino) At first the fall is silent, graceful, peaceful and truly heavenly. At about 500 feet from the ground, everything changes. Suddenly I was rushing toward the ground an an incredibly fast speed. My instructor had warned me this was called GROUND RUSH. He assured me that it was only a shift in perspective. I wasn't falling down any faster, it just looked that way.

I'm always amazed at how perspective changes everything. What is your perspective about your life? Are you on track? If you aren't, could you shift your perspective just slightly to consider the idea that you are on your path but it just doesn't look like the way you thought it should.

Think about your journey back to yourself and write down your thoughts, intentions or a few words. Now look at them from a different perspective. Read them backwards. (the Contrary Way) Look at your writing in a mirror. Look at it upside down. Read it out loud. What do you see/hear? Do you like it? If it's yes, move on to more questions. If it's no, make a choice. It's up to you.

Next: A hug from a stranger.
Suseya!
Love and light,
Sue

Author of Canadian best-selling book My Camino presently in development as a feature film.
http://www.suekenney.ca/
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Posted by Sue Kenney at 10:02 AM
Labels: camino, compostela, contrary, feature film, ground rush, guide, hiking, journey, parachute, pilgrim, spain, triacastela, walking

 

[TerryB]

Thank you Sue!
I have just read this (a week after you posted it). "Ground Rush" describes exactly the last few of days of my 'long pilgrimage'. I left Exeter cathedral in England on 21st April, walked to Plymouth and took the ferry to Santander. From there I walked via Oviedo and Lugo, joining the Francés at Melide. I was almost heartbroken when I arrived in Santiago!! It felt as though I had nothing else to do. In reality it was just the beginning . . . . You will know exactly what I mean.

I have been trying to put some of my feelings down on paper - not easy because they are, as you know, personal to the individual. My feelings on my joining the Francés were:-

Here the pilgrim hears again
His native tongue.
English pilgrims jostle
With Germans, French, Italian
And the Spanish nationals.
How different to the quiet peace
Of the Camino del Norte
And the Primitivo.
Where solitude was bliss
And the presence of God a reality.

The rest of my attempts so far are on the web here;-
http://www.countrysidematters.org.uk/pilgrimage1.html

There is some background to Oviedo here:-
http://www.countrysidematters.org.uk/pilgrimage.html

Blessings on your writing
Terry