It was not pre-arranged. It just happened that the driver made a demand and I just didn’t feel like obeying his demand. I was quite tired after spending a full day of working. ~Rosa Parks

As much as I trained for walking long distances over multiple days, in some ways my body was completely unprepared for the Camino pilgrimage. Though I had carefully tried out all my gear from the shoes I wore on my feet to the backpack I carried over my shoulder, there was no way I could have known what I was in for. I had even made minor adjustments to my orthotics to ensure a comfortable walk, all to no avail. The first day ended with sore feet and large blisters. It wasn’t that the walk was particularly strenuous, and in fact, it was quite lovely edging the coastline on flat terrain. But it was very long and I wasn’t accustomed to walking six to eight hours non-stop.

As the days began to string together I could feel my body getting stronger but at the same time the mirror effect of cumulative fatigue began to take hold as well. By the time I reached the hotel and sprawled out on my bed, the thought of moving, much less exploring the city was unimaginable. I didn’t even have the energy to feel guilty about not seeing the historic cathedral, or landmark, or any other highlight the city had to offer. Curiously, I never felt tired while I was walking. Only when I stopped did I become aware of the deep fatigue enveloping me. It wasn’t a sleepy kind of tired but an, “I don’t want to move,” kind of tired.

Later when Dana and I were back in Boulder, Colorado I ruminated that perhaps if I walked the Camino again I would cover fewer miles each day so I’d have energy to explore the places we passed through. She commented that she thought our weariness was a valuable part of the pilgrimage. As I thought about her response, I realized she was right. At the end of each day I had no oomph to go do or see anything. All I could do was just be – sit and be. Even my mind was strangely quiet, without a lot of chatter. One afternoon as we sat on our beds eating peanuts and drinking beer, Dana bemused, “How often do you ever just sit around doing nothing and not feel guilty about it? Isn’t this delightful?” It was indeed delightful. My fatigue was like a golden permission slip granting me the blessing I needed to not do a darn thing.

Questions: Is it difficult for you to give yourself permission to do nothing? Is there a place in your home that is conducive to relaxing without a care?