Learning & Unlearning

Home now in Toronto and am lucky enough to have a few days to slowly get back to my life here giving me plenty of time to process and revisit the weeks, days and moments that have in some ways gone by so quickly, but in another way I also feel that time entered another realm on the camino... days felt full, I think this is because I was slow... it is such a contemporary cliche " life is racing by"... infact it seems quite the opposite to me now... life is still, it was me that was racing by.
Once I settled into a pace on the camino, I began to notice the metaphors that the walk brought into focus; it is often said that walking the camino de Santiago is like a walk through life... a small journey in the face of a much larger one. During the walk, I learned much... historically and culturally of course, but I also found many lessons in the ways of living. Here are a few thoughts on lessons learned:
Number 1:
Even when I thought I was alone, even when I intended to be, planned to be, I was never truly alone.
Number 2:
It was logistically impossible to plan ahead once the camino was begun for a multitude of reasons... this taught me something very important...to look to and live only in the moment, making decisions only one day at a time... it seemed that the long journey was possible when I didn't let the future destination and its great distance overwhelm me.
Number 3:
When I found myself in a set of circumstances that I did not intend, or even tried hard to avoid I began to realize it was best if I just learned to relax and see what happens next ... inevitably something or someone interesting would present itself / themself and generally, I was better off for the change of plan / intention.
Number 4:
I learned the importance of walking my own pace. If you try to keep up with others or try to have others keep up with you, someone will get hurt.
Number 5:
Always there were people who would walk alongside me for a time and then I would lose them for a time, or maybe forever. I learned to let them go, knowing they had a different path, a different pace to walk that was influenced by other variables beyond my control & I really enjoyed the time I had with them.
Number 6:
Arriving at Santiago / 'Ithaca'... many thoughts on what was learned about the destination versus the value of the journey ... best described in C.P. Cavafy's poem 'Ithaca' ... I will try to attach this somewhere...