Boy I was just dragging this morning. I am fine with seven hours of sleep. And I'm ok with six hours of sleep. But anything less than six for even one night and I'm not running on all cylinders. Less than six hours for multiple nights and I start getting really ugly (these days only in my head) and I have a hard time thinking a kind thought about anyone. At least today I keep my mouth shut and try not to transmit nastiness through body language.
I finally decided to sleep before I said something I would regret. So after I finished my morning chores, I climbed into bed with the bears and went to sleep for two hours. I probably would have slept for several more, but Merusa woke me up because it was time to open and we had a line of pilgrims waiting. ;)
This morning while sweeping the street, yes, I said street, at least the part of it in front of the albergue. That's what the women of the pueblos and villages do each day. They make the beds, wash and dry the dishes, wash and hang the laundry, take out the trash, sweep and mop the floors of their homes and sweep the street in front of their homes. I think it's a matter of pride on your home and your community. So, I decided to do as they do. The last few days I've been sweeping the streets. While doing this, I've been contemplating the lives of women in the pueblos and villages or even the towns and cities. When I lived with Torji and her husband in Salamanca, Torji's life was much the same as these women in the pueblos, though she lived on the third floor and didn't have a street to sweep, her life was centered in her home and with her family.
There is a certain sense of contentment, or maybe lack of dissatisfaction, that I witness in these women. As a independent career women and feminist I am seeing things I never considered before. Doing these daily chores allows for a time of quiet reflection for me. I suppose it does for them to. These women are not meek or mild. If you've ever tried to get on the same bus as Spanish women, you know what I mean. I had to teach Leea my method for boarding a bus. If you don't do this properly, the bus will leave and you will still be standing on the curb. I ha to go into a market in Spain and buy a banana for my husband, who is not a small man, because the women had wedged him right out the door. It is said that men wear the pants in the family in Spain, but no one has informed the women. ;)
I've long tried to figure out why I love Spain so much. There are multiple reasons, but the lifestyle is so different from Southern California. There is a park or a plaza I every neighbor hood where people congregate in the evenings. Men and women greeting one another and talking. Children playing. Young people playing sports or doing what young people do. Activities generally include all age groups. In southern Spain along the Costa del Sol, the meeting place is the boardwalk where families come out to stroll and visit with other families.
There is a civilized manner of living in Spain that appeals to me. Even eating a snack is a space in time where you sit down and eat, often with a place setting. You don't just grab something from the fridge or cupboard and eat it while standing up or walking around.
Have you ever considered how difficult it is to clean a stone floor that is 700 years old. Today I used the vacuum cleaner with the attachment we would use for blinds I guess,I never did figure out what those attachments were for, and carefully sucked out the dirt and trash between the stones. It was quite an experience.
Well all the beds are full again and now we can only offer beds on the floor. Now those are filled up and I'm spending most of my time walking pilgrims down to the other albergue so they don't get lost.
There's absolutely no lack of excitement or opportunities for problem solving around here. Shortly after we filled up pilgrims came running downstairs saying there was no water in the showers in multiple languages. I thought they just went up and checked, but there was in fact no water. It turned out to be an electrical problem which required an electrician, so we were without water until after we watched the sunset. So all the dinner pots, pans and dishes just sat. As we we're leaving to watch the sunset another pilgrim arrived. This was about 8:45 pm. She is from Denmark, but speaks good English, so I told her to come watch the sunset with us and we would take care of the details later.
It was a breathtaking. 
On the walk back to the albergue one of us asked if she was hungry. She said yes, but if it was any trouble, she had an orange in her bag. Trouble, the Tres Hospitaleras don't know the meaning of the word. lol. So rosa fixed her some fried eggs and cut up a tomato, and of course there was pan (bread) and I got her signed in. We could a space on the floor for her, but some nice man have her his bed and he is sleeping on the mattress on the floor. I think she was overwhelmed by her luck. She said this was just meant to be. She called us "angels."
Oh my God, rosa just poured out a whole pitcher of wine in the sink where I was washing the dishes. She said it had a mosquito in it. I thought that was a bit of an over reaction. I mean, how much could it drink? lol.
Well it's time to call it done. Can't wait to see what excitement tomorrow brings.
No comments:
Post a Comment