I still have my feet on the ground.  I just wear better shoes.  ~Oprah Winfrey

It’s hard to write about walking the Camino without talking about sore feet. It seems to be a universal experience of pilgrims, no matter how well prepared one tries to be for the long walk ahead. If not the feet, then the knees, ankles, back, or shoulders ache. Though a spiritual undertaking, my body, particularly my feet, had an opinion about walking multiple days for multiple hours. It was tough to dwell on spiritual thoughts when the blisters on my toes were screaming for attention. Each afternoon I had a foot-care ritual of removing band-aids, washing my feet, threading my blisters using a needle and thread (a home remedy passed on by a friend), applying ample Neosporin then covering it all with a fresh band-aid. The morning brought its own pre-walk ritual that included removal of the thread. My first few steps of the day were taken gingerly until my feet acclimated to the rhythm of the road and I began to move more effortlessly.

Along the way, I would pass fellow travelers, often with a knee brace or open-toed shoes to relieve the pressure from blisters. We’d greet one another with the traditional Bon Camino and nod our head, acknowledging our fraternity in pilgrimage pain. Cobble stone streets no longer looked quaint but instead became a rocky challenge to traverse as I sought out the narrow dirt edges that offered relief from the hard, jabbing cobble stones. Stopping near a creek I came upon a group of teenage boys with their youth leader, backpacks strewn across the path. One boy in particular caught my eye. He was wearing flip-flops and tending huge, bloody blisters on his heels. I have no idea how he kept walking but he did somehow with the vibrancy of youth and the encouragement of his companions. I don’t know if he ever made it to Santiago but I suspect he did.

The curious thing about my sore feet is they reminded me to be here, be now, in my body. At times they were all consuming and I couldn’t ignore them or deny them as I can do at times with my feelings. They were persistent and would not be dismissed. There was no escaping into my head. Instead my achy feet constantly invited me to wake up, pay attention, and be in the present moment, even if that moment was an awareness that a new ‘hot spot’ was developing between my toes. I’m not one to like uncomfortable situations, but sometimes that’s what life throws you and resisting reality is rarely helpful. Luckily, my blisters were not severe and though I can’t say I was grateful for them, I certainly don’t begrudge their message to pay attention to where I am at any given moment with my feet firmly grounded on the earth. And as Oprah suggested, consider better shoes if it will make life easier.

Question: What helps you stay grounded in the present moment?