When you walk for 500 miles, your life is temporarily housed in a backpack; you don't need much money; and your only job is to cover a reasonable distance that day and find a bed.
You end up with lots of time to think.
During my 38 days on the Camino de Santiago, I mostly walked alone, by preference. I loved starting out early so I could have the night sky to myself; it was completely dark and I could see stars all the way to the horizon. The Milky Way was straight overhead. There were two glorious full moons during my pilgrimage. Because the route is always westward, the moon pulled me towards her each day. She gave enough light to leave shadows. It was peaceful before sunrise, the perfect way to start a fresh morning. And give thanks.
I'm not going to get into the details of how anyone should give thanks or to whom or what the thanks should be directed. You all have your individual beliefs and methods, which I totally respect. I'll just tell you what worked for me. I started out with a review of the previous day and, sure enough, there was plenty to be grateful for: the delivery man who chased after me at 6 a.m. to return the wet sock that had become untied and fallen off my backpack; the time I thought I'd left my iPhone charger behind, and was rescued by Mary, who lent me hers; then finding the charger; getting the last lower bunk; the two fishermen who turned me around the day I had taken a wrong turn.
There is always something to be grateful for. Every. Single. Day. As I walked, I remembered my Gratitude Journals. I hadn't thought of them in years...about twenty years, to be exact.
In my early 40's, everything went wrong, all at once. I became divorced, got a mortgage, bought a house with a killer yard, seriously teetered on the brink of bankruptcy, changed jobs, took a second job, worked 80 hours a week because I refused to let my credit rating drop, fed the kids, and struggled to hold everything together. I don't recall how I learned about Gratitude Journals. Maybe even from Oprah, because I was still an Oprah fan back then. It doesn't really matter. The universe delivers what we need, when we need it.
It's simple enough. Everyday, you write a page on something you're thankful for. The idea is to remind us that no matter what, there is always, always a reason to be grateful. So, I went out and bought my first journal. I picked a small size, thinking I wouldn't have to write so much. I wrote in the mornings (still do) before the day got busy. And I made one rule for myself: No repeats. Ever. Each day had to be something different.
In the beginning, I did the usual: grateful for my children, my health, my job, a car that started. Food, heat, water, a lawn mower that started. You get the idea. That lasts for about a month. I ran out of the obvious, so I had to start to pay attention to the subtle. Then came the good stuff. Forced to find something new, I'd go through the day, noticing. I'd choose one thing that had made an impression, and save it to record the next morning.
I did it for a thousand days.
Here's the miracle: At some point, I became authentically Grateful. All day, I would register what was good. And there is so much good! After three years, I stopped the Journal, because I didn't need to write it all down anymore. I could recognize something, acknowledge it, and be glad to have witnessed one more reason to be thankful.
I tell you all of this because travel takes us to a different place, with a different ability to see our lives. It can be surprising to spend time alone and rediscover ourselves. It may sound corny, but I really did return with an attitude of gratitude.
I added a few stones along the way, too.
This is wonderful and makes me feel very peaceful and grateful just reading it. And I love the photos, especially the one of the cairn.
Posted by: Hattie | 11/24/2014 at 06:09 PM