what the Camino gave you

[Sagalouts]

sir Thomas more wrote :there is never a pilgrims who returns home without one less prejudice and one new idea: did anyone else find this to be so true

 

[Scott Sweeney]

I think the quote was from Francois Chateaubriand but no matter, as for me I had a very bad obsession and it had made me a very angry man. I learned how irrelevant this obsession was in my life and I returned home a much better human being. Second Camino I returned with an ingrown toenail, third time I returned much happier.

So I guess the quote holds water.

 

[wayfarer]

I came home with more of the attitude "my way is best for me" than "my way is best" and also found that there are many more good people in the world than I had believed.

 

[Olivares]

My Camino journey started as an act of gratitude. I was offering the pilgrimage in thanks to God for giving health to my Brother after a serious cancer crisis. What I got in return was totally unexpected. The fact is that I cannot find the words to explain how and what happened, but can only say that I made peace with many, many things, including myself, along the Camino.

I found true gratefulness along the Way and I took it home with me. Learning to live a life in gratitude -- THAT was the gift I found along the Way.

 

[robertt]

Nothing unusual in my case, lout - but good! I found myself simplifying, sorting out some chaff, letting things change without selecting the changes. Accepting gravity. Decisive non-decision, if you know what I mean. (If I know what I mean.)

 

[Dennis D]

I am so grateful for this amazing experience. I fell in love with Spain. The countryside is beautiful, the cities are very clean and the people so very kind. I didn't want the walk to end and was almost sorry to reach Santiago before I realized after I returned home that it never will. I made friendships that will last for a lifetime. As I think about this, I feel guilty that I have received more from the Camino that I have given. So now there is a new goal for my walk next year.

 

[ambers]

I'm still feeling the benefit of my camino. I'm breathing again. I don't feel so stressed. My head is not so addled. I'm just me.

 

[simply B]

At the risk of scaring off would-be pilgrims... the Camino "gave" me nothing, but, whew, it took a lot away.

SJPP to Burgos burned off pride.

The Meseta winds sandblasted a hard shell off my heart.

The Galician rains washed out my tendency to be judgmental.

Another Camino after that and I am still working to fill in the "holes" with good things, two years later.

It is a hard process but one that bestows a lot of peace.

B

 

[Wanderer64]

I echo simply-B's first sentiment: the Camino gave me nothing, and I never expected it to give me anything. At the risk of entering a semantic minefield, I can say that anytime I visit a foreign land, I feel privileged to be welcomed in as a visitor. While the Camino didn't give me anything, it did provide me a wonderful opportunity to traverse northern Spain via foot, experience the country in a most unique way, and for that I am grateful and culturally enriched. I've never approached travel as a give/take exercise, more an opportunity to experience another culture, geography.

Did the Camino transform me in any way? Of course it did. All of life's experiences are, to a lesser or greater degree, life-changing. As Heraclitus said, "No man ever steps in the same river twice, for it's not the same river and he's not the same man."

 

[simply B]

@Wanderer64 -

..I never expected it to give me anything..

I agree wholeheartedly. The absolute WORST thing a person can carry to the Way is an expectation. For me, everything that happened was totally unexpected because I had never intended to be on the Camino in the first place. There was just a strong vortex of weird circumstances/coincidences that I gave myself up to it. I was an awful pilg for about a week (okay...maybe 10 days... ) before I got into the spirit of it.

Love the Heraclitus quote because, as a fly-fisherman, it is just so true.


@Dennis D -

I feel guilty that I have received more from the Camino that I have given. So now there is a new goal for my walk next year.

I resemble that remark! Do let me know when/how you achieve that "paid in full" status.

B

 

[Arn]

Sagalouts,
I can remember a short time ago when doing another Camino was akin to spinning your wheels. In a very direct thread, you said...this is it.
Well, I'm back from a sabbatical and greatly pleased you are still on board.
Regards my friend,
Arn
PS: I really like the hat! A

 

[Icacos]

[QUOTE ......and greatly pleased you are still on board..... /QUOTE]
Ditto for me, Sagalouts. You and I first met in the Burgos albergue last year - you recognized the Forum badge on my pack - and then, along with my two cousins, we met several times again before Santiago. My cousins and I did, though, give you a different moniker ... one that you conceded might be quite appropriate, no?

Very best regards,

 

[ebrandt]

For the last year I have been trying to put into words what I gained from my Camino I say "gained" because I believe that I took many things from the Camino, but I also believe that I was given many gifts that I could never have anticipated. It was a pivotal experience for me. I walked to give thanks for my health and to commit to continued health. Between May 2009 and August 2012, I lost 150 pounds. Before my weight loss, I could barely walk. I had to sit at least every 15 minutes. And the Camino absolutely was the joyous celebration and commitment I planned.

But the Camino was so much more to me.

I walked with my husband of 30 years. Our two children had just graduated from College and both had their first jobs. We were truly "empty nesters." My husband was initially reluctant to walk all the way from SJPP. And I was worried that his heart wouldn't be in the walk. But our walk was one long renewal of our marriage vows. The time together walking, worshiping and in community with those we met, reminded us both of the wonderful qualities we always have found in each other. It gave us time to appreciate each other's strengths and to help each other when we were hurting. It tried our patience with each other and required us to be forgiving. It gave us time to reflect on our past and plan for our future.

I am not a patient person. I am a planner and I really like to have all the details under control. I worry and fret .... and plan .... and plan ... and plan again! But a Camino requires patience. It requires you to let go, to trust in an unknown future -- to fall backwards and to know you will be caught. Planning beforehand is helpful. But it only goes so far. The training, planning equipment and how to get to and from the Camino all counts for a lot. But those 30+ days in the middle can't be planned. You just can't know ho far you will walk. And on a first Camino, you have no idea what is around the next bend in the road, where and what you will eat, who you will meet, and where you will sleep. The Camino slows everything down. I found a lot of joy in that slowing that I could never have imagined. I realized how much I had been missing in all my planning, how fast I had been whizzing by the world and not seeing the detail, the beauty and the people. I am back on my whizzing real life, but at least now I know I'm whizzing by the world and missing the detail and I continually seek ways to stop and slow down, to savor the little moments and to see the detail.

I am flooded by thought of many more things taken and gifts given from my Camino, but for now, thes two are ones I can put into words! Thanks for asking this question and giving me a camino moment this morning!

Liz

 

[hecate105]

I learned to love humanity again. I learned that I married the right man. I learned that I need to peregrinate. Completing my pilgrimage was the first step in healing 22 years of sickness - still a fair few steps to go - but at least I'm on the right road...!

 

[david g]

It showed me that stepping away from what's considered "normal" can be a very good thing. ( You're WHAT? Walking across Spain? That's crazy!), it showed me how a life full of "things" can be so much emptier than a life full of experiences and that there is still magic in the world. I learned that slowing down, giving of ourselves and being present can bring real happiness. Can't wait til May 2015 to go back for a refresher course.

 

[nackyann]

sir Thomas more wrote :there is never a pilgrims who returns home without one less prejudice and one new idea: did anyone else find this to be so true

I walked with a French friend in 2003 who spoke fluent Spanish, French and English and lead the trip from day one. There were very few English speakers on our Camino so I felt very isolated. My 30 year marriage had just broken up and I had no confidence I could make it thru life alone. A couple days into the walk my friend said I ought walk alone one day so I would know I wasn't dependent on her. I completely freaked out because I have no sense of direction, never saw the arrows, couldn't speak to anyone and didn't understand the money! How could I ever walk alone anywhere especially in a foreign country? As the days wore on her idea haunted me. Finally after about 2 weeks a set of circumstances occurred that made me feel God (higher power--whatever you want to call it)was calling me to walk alone the next day. I knew I could choose not to, but I decided if I was ever going to take a chance to be whole person this was it. I cried all night but the next day I headed out alone. Every time I saw an arrow I cried feeling finally that God DOES guide my life if I can just trust that. It was such a miracle for me who had always trusted my husband or other people's intuition to guide my life! I've had an obsession with the Camino ever since, which I share with many of you! I'm still hoping and planning to go again. I want to see if I can find more, because I know there was SO much more that I wasn't able to grasp at that time.

Thanks for asking this question. It gave me the chance to share this profound experience, which, even though my friends appreciate my story they don't really understand.

Ultreya,
Nancy

 

[Dennis D]

I walked with a French friend in 2003 who spoke fluent Spanish, French and English and lead the trip from day one. ...... Finally after about 2 weeks a set of circumstances occurred that made me feel God (higher power--whatever you want to call it)was calling me to walk alone the next day. I knew I could choose not to, but I decided if I was ever going to take a chance to be whole person this was it. I cried all night but the next day I headed out alone. Every time I saw an arrow I cried feeling finally that God DOES guide my life if I can just trust that. It was such a miracle for me who had always trusted my husband or other people's intuition to guide my life! I've had an obsession with the Camino ever since, which I share with many of you! I'm still hoping and planning to go again. I want to see if I can find more, because I know there was SO much more that I wasn't able to grasp at that time.


Ultreya,
Nancy

Next time, it will be your turn to help someone else get started ! Everything left for you to grasp is still waiting for your discovery. We are never alone on the Camino. Buen Camino !

 

[waveprof]

Time. A month plus with just my wife and 1 year old child to spend together without technology

Perspective. I gained more confidence in both our worldview and our parenting.

Faith. I've never been super religious, and still am not "super." But watching my 1 year old lean over out of his backpack unprompted to rub St James's face in Santiago de Compestella....... Even the priest monitoring the walk through about jumped out of his seat. It really moved me and gave me some renewed faith.

 

[nackyann]

You're right, Dennis! I'm trying to make it happen soon--before my old knees give out!

 

[pilgrim b]

The camino taught me that camino never ends, you begin to discover who you really are, and that each moment, person and silence are very precious. A smile is a gift to give or receive. Kindness, gratitude,encouragement cost nothing.
And as someone has already said on this forum we are all a work in progress

 

[Dennis D]

You're right, Dennis! I'm trying to make it happen soon--before my old knees give out!

My old knees are probably older that yours. Walking sticks, glucosamine, and common sense will help take you there. I always felt that the only things missing from my pack were a spare pair of feet. Buen Camino !

 

[quietwun]

I struggled...a lot. Changed plans to be able to legitimately get a Compostela.

I learned the immense value of acts of kindness. I was going to say small acts of kindness but, no, they were huge.

A pair coming back to carry my pack to the next village. I said no, but just walk with me.

A hug from a passing pilgrim.

A pilgrim who gave me a cookie, "because I don't know what else to do."

A pair walking in front if me up a hill, calling directions and encouragement.

Roommates making a thoughtful purchase for me, when I couldn't get to the store myself.

Pilgrims in an albergue quickly rearranging to give me a bottom. I was prepared and able to do a top, but this was done before I knew it. Humbled.

A hospitalero making a way for me to stay when I clearly could go no further. Humbled further.

Even the panhandling pilgrim who offered me painkillers. I still wonder what he had.

These all got me through tough days, but got me to the point where I could revise, rethink, be creative and flexible so I would not feel I was putting myself or others at risk.

...in a nutshell......learning to never minimize the significance of things you do in kindness, whether it seems large or not. You just don't know the story.

Finding my strength was in adjusting, reworking a plan on the run, confidently navigating my way around a foreign country. Amazed at how a little Spanish served me so well. Surprised at my boldness with a few words.

....and when I thought at the time I was "one and done.." Maybe if I am healthier?? I miss the freedom of living moment to moment with just the stuff I can carry. Even in severe pain and exhaustion, there was freedom and rest for soul and spirit.

 

[Calgarybiker1965]

I learned to love humanity again. I learned that I married the right man. I learned that I need to peregrinate. Completing my pilgrimage was the first step in healing 22 years of sickness - still a fair few steps to go - but at least I'm on the right road...!

Beautiful thank you

 

[jmcarp]

Wow, I never clicked "Like" so many times in one thread. The answers and insights here are just amazing. The Camino inspires.

Probably the biggest gift I brought home was learning to let go of things over which I have no control and to trust God even more, no matter what the circumstances.

 

[wawpdx]

I decided to walk the Camino because I wanted to feel that I was again a part of a spiritual community. I ended feeling that I am a person who can walk across countries.

Because I felt safe in Spain, I returned to the country where I am an expat, trusting that I am safe here too.

I never hesitated to do this alone, even though when I started (2005), I didn't know anyone else who had heard of the Camino. When I came back to complete the journey, I learned on the last 200 km that it is a lot more fun to do these things with someone, especially someone you can laugh with. (Not sure "fun" equals a spiritual journey, but it was a spiritual lesson to me).

I learned that when someone offers to translate a Spanish priest's enthusiastic retelling of his deep connection to the Camino, that doesn't mean the translation will be in English. I learned language humility.

And, the short answer: in an alburgue a few km before El Burgo de Ranero, the nuns asked the question "In a word, what has been the gift of the Camino for you?". That's how I interpret the query in this thread. I said "Trust".

 

[simply B]

@wawpdx -

RE: Your post above: In a word... "AMEN!"

B

 

[Sagalouts]

sorry not been posting,I have been walking the camino in Poland,and yes I do remember you from last year Charleen it was good to walk the way with you,as to what the camino gave me you have only to read the above posts,it gave me the chance to walk,talk and be with people like you. though it still hasn,t given me the answer to boots or shoes yet ;_]

 

[Icacos]

sorry not been posting,I have been walking the camino in Poland,and yes I do remember you from last year Charleen it was good to walk the way with you,as to what the camino gave me you have only to read the above posts,it gave me the chance to walk,talk and be with people like you. though it still hasn,t given me the answer to boots or shoes yet ;_]

You are very kind, Ian. I was not in the best state of mind then, hence the reason for my being there at all. Next time! Enjoy your Caminos.

 

[tpmchugh]

I am so grateful for this amazing experience. I fell in love with Spain. The countryside is beautiful, the cities are very clean and the people so very kind. I didn't want the walk to end and was almost sorry to reach Santiago before I realized after I returned home that it never will. I made friendships that will last for a lifetime. As I think about this, I feel guilty that I have received more from the Camino that I have given. So now there is a new goal for my walk next year.

Know what you mean. I also fell in love with the real Spain as opposed to the awful Costas. I also found a great affinity with the people and their hopes and desires. The Catalans and Basques were among the most friendly people I have ever met. I went on the Camino for why, I did not know. I wasn't trying to sort out my life or get religion or any other spiritual reasons. I just wanted to do it. I had a good life with nothing really to complain about. My only real thought about it was the fact that when I was 21, I was almost completely paralysed but my prayers were answered and I got my legs back. Another pilgrim on here had a similar problem and told me she had walked the camino in thanks, thanks that I had forgotten to give, so that became a partial inspiration. What I got however was something beyond words almost. Sense of peace and freedom like I have never felt before, a new relationship with someone I learned to call buddy, Jesus. I was returning to my Catholic faith that had been relegated to a Sunday morning. I really felt closer to God as I struggled up the trail to La Faba because I knew he was with me. I found another friend this time flesh and blood, who was a big help in getting me to Santiago. I will never forget him and I was so glad to hear that the prayers I said for him in Santiago were answered and his life has been turned around and is very good now. All these feelings and emotions were so powerful that I will return next spring to experience them all again, not that I still dont feel them as I walk around my local parks and hills. I have been given so much it really is incredible for I deserved none of it. I know maybe I should not follow up with this, but I put it all into print as best as my amateurish writing skills would allow. Look at my signature if you are interested

Buen Camino

Terry

 

[vgen5122]

sir Thomas more wrote :there is never a pilgrims who returns home without one less prejudice and one new idea: did anyone else find this to be so true

The Camino game way more to me than I gave to it. Initially I wanted to do the Camino because I wanted to experience something out of the ordinary. To experience something that my children could look back at with pride.
It was not only important to do it, but complete it. I would come too far not to complete my journey.
On my journey I found the Camino was trying to teach me something and if I went too quickly I would miss the lessons. Things happened to me on the Camino that i can not explain or describe. I found and inner strength, and a kinship with my fellow pilgrims.
My Camino was a struggle, a joy and a adventure all at the same time. People from all over the world walking the paths with a common bond, a common struggle, and a common joy of experiencing, and loving the Camino. Buen Camino

 

[Sue M]

I walked each day thinking of someone I knew who has died but would have loved to have been walking the Way, and I came to terms with my retirement after 40 years of teaching. I became obsessed with the Camino, went back several times to walk short stretches, took my husband there, and am currently organising a parish pilgrimage by coach for twenty older people who can walk only up to four miles. I'm still looking for a way of walking from Burgos to Leon, since I am too much of a wimp to undertake getting from whatever airport I'd land at to Burgos, and from Leon to whatever airport I'd fly back to England from, by myself!

 

[lettinggo]

Great post and so many inspiring experiences.
The Camino have given me many things but if I should use one word which best describe them it is
clarity

Buen Camino
Lettinggo

 

[jemitch65]

sir Thomas more wrote :there is never a pilgrims who returns home without one less prejudice and one new idea: did anyone else find this to be so true

I came home a completely changed man with a greater appreciation of simplicity, the natural world, and a concept of what matters most for me and my family. Those are the basis of the beliefs I have now adopted and for me the closest definition of the Camino de Santiago.

 

[Al the optimist]

What the Camino gave me? In one word - ME! Sometimes we can lose sight of things over the years, of ourselves and of our most important relationship. The Camino has and is correcting that slippage.

 

[Tony Jansen]

It opened my heart (or it made me), and it enabled me to give again, after a really long time of mostly only taking.

 

[mspath]

For me the camino has been several concurrent journeys - looking back into historic time at the cultural heritage along this beloved pilgrimage route, traversing on foot contemporary northern Spain east to west, and a deeper discovery of myself.

Walking alone has required constant adaptation to changing weather and varied terrain while at times overcoming irrational (?) fears of crossing high bridges or descending slippery scree. Nevertheless as always I have relearned the importance of personal tenacity and endurance. Those long slogs up the Ibaneta pass or into the cities of Burgos and Leon seemed endless. However I did arrive pooped, but walking upright and always carrying my full pack thinking like Churchill after Dunkirk I WILL go on to the end.

On a happier note serendipity has brought much daily joy such as viewing alone within a silent wood the vivid colors of an early winter sunrise or sharing triumphant laughter with a new camino friend after successfully cresting O Cebreiro. Most importantly I have relearned the necessity for sincerity in all our interactions and been privileged to experience the overwhelming power of true caritas, that special spirit of unconditional selfless love towards others as offered by some to many along the camino.

Might we all be so caring and generous.

Margaret Meredith

 

[richeyboy]

As always mspath (Margaret) you get it absolutely right and beautifully put. There is nothing to be added. Thanks so much and I am taking a copy of it of my upcoming but sadly much reduced (due to problems this end) camino. For your next journey 'buen camino'.

 

[bismith]

For the last year I have been trying to put into words what I gained from my Camino I say "gained" because I believe that I took many things from the Camino, but I also believe that I was given many gifts that I could never have anticipated. It was a pivotal experience for me. I walked to give thanks for my health and to commit to continued health. Between May 2009 and August 2012, I lost 150 pounds. Before my weight loss, I could barely walk. I had to sit at least every 15 minutes. And the Camino absolutely was the joyous celebration and commitment I planned.

But the Camino was so much more to me.

I walked with my husband of 30 years. Our two children had just graduated from College and both had their first jobs. We were truly "empty nesters." My husband was initially reluctant to walk all the way from SJPP. And I was worried that his heart wouldn't be in the walk. But our walk was one long renewal of our marriage vows. The time together walking, worshiping and in community with those we met, reminded us both of the wonderful qualities we always have found in each other. It gave us time to appreciate each other's strengths and to help each other when we were hurting. It tried our patience with each other and required us to be forgiving. It gave us time to reflect on our past and plan for our future.

I am not a patient person. I am a planner and I really like to have all the details under control. I worry and fret .... and plan .... and plan ... and plan again! But a Camino requires patience. It requires you to let go, to trust in an unknown future -- to fall backwards and to know you will be caught. Planning beforehand is helpful. But it only goes so far. The training, planning equipment and how to get to and from the Camino all counts for a lot. But those 30+ days in the middle can't be planned. You just can't know ho far you will walk. And on a first Camino, you have no idea what is around the next bend in the road, where and what you will eat, who you will meet, and where you will sleep. The Camino slows everything down. I found a lot of joy in that slowing that I could never have imagined. I realized how much I had been missing in all my planning, how fast I had been whizzing by the world and not seeing the detail, the beauty and the people. I am back on my whizzing real life, but at least now I know I'm whizzing by the world and missing the detail and I continually seek ways to stop and slow down, to savor the little moments and to see the detail.

I am flooded by thought of many more things taken and gifts given from my Camino, but for now, thes two are ones I can put into words! Thanks for asking this question and giving me a camino moment this morning!

Liz

Love your post Liz