Success in all ways!!!

I am in Santiago de Compostela! Yesterday I was in a can do it frame of mind after barely sleeping the night before (due to too much food and alcohol the previous night). Go figure! But I was again walking with too many people and that takes away some of the peacefulness. "Do I really want to walk into Santiago like this?" I thougt to myself over and over again. So a new plan formed in my mind as I was walking lightly and painlessly along the most baeutiful wooden trails with old forest trees hanging over the trail and creating a canopy; the most amazing sights that my camera was unable to capture. "What about finishing this whole thing today, on my strongest note ever?" I thought. Once that idea had formed in my mind I could not let it go, and as I quickly covered kilometer upon kilometer the decision became clear. I was on. "Santiao, here I come!"

The walk was amazing, and I had never felt so good the entire time on the Camino. I was walking faster than any other day and feeling great. What had happened? I know I had built up strength and endurance, but this was better than I could have imagined and because it was my last day I let all worries about injuries go and it truly paid off, in more ways than one. Not only did I restore my confidence in my physical heath, but I also restored my hopes about all kinds of possibilities for me in the future, feeling a strong sense of not being alone, but having some amazing support that I cannot describe. I think this was the essensce of me coming back here to Spain, to restore my confidence in myself, my abilities and my worth, in what I deserve in life and what I can do to achieve it. Actually, "it" is not one thing, but rather a combination of things, all originating in the soul, in my connection with myself and the universal force that Christianity calls God, but that which goes by so many different names. I tend to talk about it as the Universe, but at the end of the day it does not matter. When we are aligned with our soul all forces are put into action to support us, and that is how we know that we are on the right path. I connected with this as I was walking into Santiago and I felt an immense sense of joy and peace.

I love to people watch while on the Camino and because it is summer and holidays for students and teachers there are alot of both groups on the Camino. I watch the young groups of friends and know they are on a journey of a lifetime. During the day they walk and talk and at night they get together to eat, drink and visit; with each other and with youth from all over the world. I cannot help but think of my nieces and how they would have the best time here. Who knows? The idea of the Camino either resonates with people or it doesn´t, and it is all good. Either one feels compelled to do it or not. Either decision is right.

Santiago is a beautiful historic city with a population of about 19,000 people. But in the summer time it is saturated with tourists and pilgrims and those numbers are completely blown up. It is vibrant and joyful and the pilgrims weigh heavily on the joy element of the atmosphere, sharing their excitement and happiness of arriving at the destination of their journeys. Little do we realize that the end is so short lived as we arrive only to find out that we have arrived to prepare ourselves for the beginning, as the journey has changed us in ways that we cannot understand and describe to others, yet feel deep inside as a new grounding in life. In the brochyre we get with our compostela it is described in this way:

"Begining the walk of life..In the Roman facade of the Cathedral in the square called `Platerias´, you will see a chrismon in which an alpha and omega, that represent the beginning and end, are inverted. That is to say, end and beginning. This is done to try to express that the end of the way of Saint James symbolises a new beginning, a new life that you will experience from this day onwards."

It is exciting to think that we get chances in our lives to clean up thoughts and habits, behavioural patterns that no longer serve us and go back into life refreshed both on the inside and outside. What a gift to ourselves! The youth get a chance to connect with what matters to them at an early age and thus live their lives more in alignment with their true values, rather than being driven to a great degree by social pressures and external ideas of success and value.

When I was at the pilgrims´office to get my compostela I was talking to two volunteers who diligently scanned my credential to make sure I qualified for this honoured accreditation. He noted that I had missed a portion of the meseta and I explained. Time would not allow for it all this time, though by the end I did cover over 600km in just over three weeks of walking. Not bad! This peregrino is as happy as a larkin and very proud of her accomplishments. The man continued the conversation and expressed excitement that I am from Norway. I said that I live in Canada, but he asked if they could announce me as from Norway. Of course! I am Norwegian, through and through! He went on to tell me that I come from a Christian Country. I added that I am lutheran. He waived with his arms and said, no you are a Christian. In the beginning we were all Christians, before they separated. "One of the first pilgrims to walk to Santiago is said to have walked from Norway", he told me. I was happy to hear his explanations of this rich history ond added that there is a well known pilgrim trail in Norway as well, which supposedly connects to The Way of Saint James.

After I left the pilgrims´ office I kept thinking about this conversation and how it relates to my journey. As a pilgrim we are not separated by our versions of faith; rather we walk together in harmony, with respect and care for one another, and with hope and good wishes for the success of everyone along the trail. What if this were possible in the "real world"? It is a simple structure where all unnecessary baggage has been stripped and we are walking through life with only the most necessary items. What would happen if we simplified life and let go of extra "baggage" in the "real world"? We would definitely look at life a little more carefully and think about what matters the most to us.

All I know is that it feels great to travel through life lightly for a month. And I crave this feeling during the rest of the year. I don´t know how this will impact my life at home, but a few ideas come to mind. Time will tell. For now I am happy to say that I have successfully finished my second Camino and I am happy to be here and to come home.

In the words of a fellow pilgrim:

"The way to Santiago is as life itself, it is as He who gives us support, it is a marvellous experience. It has no end, because when you arrive you realize that you have to keep on walking towards St. James, towards the others, towards your inner self, towards God. This will only be finished when the life that we enjoy day by day comes to an end."

For now, though, I will have fun and be joyful in this beautiful city of celebration, with its many bars and restaurants on almost every corner. I have worked hard and I am rady to drink some great local (and cheap) wine, eat some great Spanish/Galician food, discover more of this city and visit with fellow peregrinos that I have met along the way. If time permits I will go to Finisterre to see The End of the World, as they used to believe it to be. Maybe I will dip my toes into the water too. It is not too warm here right now so the idea is not very tempting. Oh, well.

For now,

NAMASTE!