We are back to turning it over. I'm listening to Leonard Cohen's "If It Be Your Will." On my iPod, hoping to return to that place of complete surrender. My knee started hurting today. It has been pain free for months. And, I haven't even started walking. I have tears in my eyes listening to this song once again and remembering that long journey to acceptance and surrender. I am the bamboo, he is the Monk. The tears aren't frustration this time. In fact I'm not sure what they are about, probably lots of things. It is always difficult to be faced with my spiritual imperfection, but I know with more certainty each time I pass through this particular intersection. There has been progress. After a short, oh damn, I am not pouting, stamping my feet and throwing a temper tantrum like I did last year. Thank you God via Leonard.
If it were not for the Grace of a very loving God, I am sure I would have never heard of the Camino. The people I hung with and the places I was, this would have been very unlikely. It would be much more likely that I would be dead by now. So, the fact that I know there is such a thing as a spiritual pilgrimage, that I wanted to do it, that I got to do it, it more than a wretch like me deserves. So, I am going to try to stay in the space I got to last year. I will go to Saint Jean Pied de Port, I will get up on the morning of the 4th of August, put on my little boots and my backpack, and I will take a step out the door and whether I get to make a lot more, or only the one, is not up to me. I can harly complain about anything. I have been blessed beyond belief.
Besides, I'm in Spain. I love Spain! All of it, and there is a lot of it that doesn't require hiking. I am certain I will make new friends, have new adventures and enjoy myself no matter what, because that is what my life has become on a daily basis. Even if I went home, I would be returning to a place I love and people I adore. Does it get much better than that?
Now that we've gone through that spiritual and emotional loop de loop, let me tell you about my day. Well, I worked from 9am until 2pm. It was really slow until about 1pm, but it gave me some more time to talk with my new friends. When I come in in the morning, or they come in after me, they say, "Hola, Nancy. ¿Qué tal?" And smile. Today Lupe showed me the doll she is getting for each of the young girls who are coming to her daughter's first communion party. It is really cute in pink and purple. I'll post a picture with this. Then Pilar was asking where I live in California. She said she has a friend in San Diego. I told here my daughters and my grandchildren live in San Diego, next thing she and Tania are asking if I have pictures. So I showed them pictures of my daughters and my grandkids. They took one look at Gia and guessed that she was trouble. lol that really isn't hard to see. They decided all of them were good looking. They also said that mom and grand mom was good looking too. I swear I blushed.
After work I was having Pimientos de Padron (they are addicting) and Edwardo walked behind me. He could have kept going but he stopped to say "aprovecha" which translates roughly to "enjoy your meal." Then Caesar was coming out of the Pilgrim's office as I was walking by and he got a big smile on his face and said "Nancy, ?¿que tal? I asked him if he had a good birthday ( it was two days ago) he said he did. I asked how old he was and he said thirty. I laughed and said "oh, no, un hombre viejo." He laughed and said, "No, no." These are little things, but they mean a lot to me.
I pretty much spent the rest of the day sorting the things that would get sent to Bercianos, go in my backpack or stay here in my suitcase until I return at the end of September, or whenever. I took the stuff going to Bercianos to the Correos off and sent it off. Now I'm still pulling stuff out of the back pack and putting it into the suitcase. I'm trying to not carry stuff I don't really need. You would be surprised how little that is. I am still going back and forth on the camera. I did fine with the iPhone last year. There were just some shots Where I wished I had had more zoom capabilities. I've seen lots of people come in with cameras from all different countries and I've asked them if they carried them the whole way. They all said they did, like it was no big deal.
I forgot to mention that I took the bears to town with me and before the morning mass the bears, Mr Burple and Mr Berry, who are doing the Camino with me, and I went and hugged the Apostle for ourselves and for Daniel, Frances and Brunswick, our friends.
Lupe and the doll
This morning's view of the Cathedral on my way to work
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