what I learned on my first Camino

[david g]

i learned a lot on my first Camino (sept. 5-oct.15th) of this year.
1. friends are made quickly and come in all shapes/sizes/ages
2. earplugs are a mans best friend
3. it's amazing how well you can live on bocadillos, cafe con leche and beer
4. you will be faced with the ultimate hard choice....continuing to walk with your new found friends or staying behind to enjoy a particularly nice town
5. when oohing and ahhing about how cool it is to walk down the road taking photos of a farmer moving his cows to a new pasture, be sure to watch where you step
6. the path to Samos is magical. i mean that literally. walking that peaceful path i couldn't help but feel the magic/power/divine essence that was there.
7. eat/walk/wash/sleep....the Camino in a nutshell. if only the rest of life were so simple
8. those friends you parted with so you could sightsee? you'll magically be reunited, if only for a short time (so get email addresses!)
9. the rest of the world is continuing on as usual.enjoy your time away
10. it's never to early to start planning the next one

 

[grayland]

Nothing else to add...you have it nicely bottled. :wink:

 

[FrancesK]

My only addition would be to:
10. It's never too early to start planning the next one and knowing that those plans (you had fun doing!) would be thrown out the window once you hit the trail (and you'd have fun doing!)

oh and:
No dolor, no gloria!

 

[CaminoGen]

Yes,yes,yes! The simplicity of the Camino made me fall in love with myself, wite who I am when taken out of "regular" society.

 

[pablo.m]

dude, nicely put.

(as an aside, i was on the trail 08/09/12-10/10/12 - i wonder if our paths crossed??)

 

[mralisn]

#7 and #10 do it for me. Great list. Thanks for sharing!

 

[mlhhome]

Incredible list - well done.
I offer two sub-points:
- Our ability to overcome burdens/barriers/issues is greater than we anticipate
- Rain comes in various forms

 

[Contrarymary]

I would endorse everything David said in his post. WE are all stronger than we think and have more endurance than we realise. I am still coming down after finishing my first Camino, the best experience of my 68 years.