All journeys have a secret destination of which the traveler is unaware. ~Martin Buber

On the last day of my journey as I headed towards Finisterre, known historically as the place where heaven and earth meet, my friend commented that the air felt really soft. We continued on in silence and I pondered her observation as we walked across a dirt path meandering through a pine forest. Even the footing felt soft under my feet as I stepped upon the blanket of pine needles covering the earth. Though I hadn’t realized it until I heard the words, the journey had indeed been a soft, gentle, and rhythmic trek across Portugal and Spain despite the blistered feet and achy muscles. Nothing felt rushed – there was no sense of urgency or pushing to accomplish anything.

At one point during our long walk we came across a large German shepherd dog. He met us as we passed through a tiny village where two farmers stood chatting beside an old pickup truck in the middle of the street. The dog greeted us with large kind eyes, though he resisted being patted. He clearly wanted us to follow him and he’d turn his head slightly to encourage us to come along behind him. When we approached the edge of the lane, a dirt path appeared with the familiar Camino arrow marking our way. We walked down the path and our friendly guide turned and trotted back to his village, awaiting the next pilgrim to lead through his domain. The dog never barked or whined, he simply urged us to move forward by trotting ahead and gazing over his shoulder to be sure we were nearby.

The ease of being in the flow, so to speak, felt like a marked contrast to the fast-paced, goal-driven, busyness of life back home. Even leisure time can be yet another opportunity to accomplish and compete, as if needing to justify my existence. On the Camino the soft and gentle cadence of walking daily invited me to quit striving so much and simply enjoy my existence. I could relax into the unfolding of the journey and trust my “guides” would appear as needed and sometimes in unexpected forms. I didn’t need to know where I was going as much as I needed to learn how to walk the path – with ease and kindness. Maybe that was my true destination all along.

Question: How do you want to walk through your day today?