The freedom of silence is in the wisdom of my steps.

About three days into our walk, Dana, my walking friend, asked if our journey felt like a pilgrimage. It was an intriguing question. I certainly felt grateful for the time and resources to embark on the “pilgrimage” but it wasn’t as if I was having any great epiphanies about life or moments of spiritual clarity. Mostly, my feet hurt by the end of the day and my thoughts focused on food, particularly dinner, and when I might partake. The days felt ordinary other than being in a foreign country with nothing to do other than walk. But maybe that’s exactly what a pilgrimage is supposed to be, simply a long walk with a willingness to be changed.

I couldn’t help but be reminded of my meditation practice where I sit in silence for twenty minutes each morning doing my best not to get too distracted by my thoughts. It often feels like a waste of time, but somehow showing up with the intention of being open to God’s presence has been enough. There are rarely flashes of insight, but often a sense of settling within. What I notice is that when I don’t take time for my morning sitting sessions, I become more agitated, less flexible, in general my life doesn’t go as well. I have learned to trust the showing up process even if it doesn’t feel very productive.

That’s how I felt about the Camino. I was trusting that the walk would do its silent transformative work regardless of how I felt in the moment. There was nothing for me to do other than approach each day with a readiness to be guided and walk. And the Camino did do it’s magic as I learned to relax and have faith in the process. Somehow walking almost two hundred miles unraveled some knots in my soul – at a cellular level I sensed that everything was o.k. I have no idea how that works, but accepting the ordinariness, the wonder, and the pain that each day brings with an open heart and gratitude seems to be the only requirement for a pilgrimage – actually, just showing up and walking is enough. The rest takes care of itself.

Question:  What would it be like to relax and trust you are exactly where you need to                   be on your life path?