We made do with a vending machine breakfast in order to get on the road quickly (as quickly as is possible with teenager morning pacing). We hobbled onto the trail under a promising blue sky and chilly temperatures. After passing by a group of women chanting together in prayer, Nolan wondered aloud if they were witches. I assured him that they were just real pilgrims doing this walk for religious reasons. Then we popped out of the woods and read a sign post telling us that we had just exited the woods which were thought to be bewitched by local witches. Weird.
We had a day full of walking and sunshine ahead. We enjoyed long stretches of downhill as payback for yesterday's mountain effort, and we got scorched by the sun that we had worried we would never see again. Today's path took us through villages, across rivers, and through pastures. The scenery was beautiful. We saw many of the same pilgrims we had met along the trail yesterday - all with their own personal distance goals for today and their own inner journeys to complete.
Today my guidebook reminds me that pilgrims travel at a slower pace: one that allows time and awareness to expand. Well, this pilgrim fulfills the responsibility of traveling at a slower pace. I am trying to work on allowing my awareness to expand. I did come away from today's travels with two somewhat inspirational observations on life. The first came while speaking the universal language of parenting with two women from Croatia. They had seen Nolan at his worst on the trail on the mountain yesterday, and they asked me what I told him to keep him going. I said that I told him that he just needed to keep moving forward - things were not going to get better just standing still, crying in the rain. As soon as I said it, I thought to myself, "Wow. That sounded really deep. I could pretty much be the Alchemist - just professing wisdom as I travel my path in search of my Personal Legend." I mean, seriously, just keep moving forward. When life gets messy, don't wallow in the muck, just dig yourself out and continue forward. Profound.
A few hours later, I was walking down a steep gravel section of the trail with Brianna. I told her that I was pretty sure that I was going to come tumbling down behind her, so she should brace herself. She replied, "I'm not going to catch you if you fall, but I will help you get up." I thought, "Ah ha! That's brilliant. This wisdom from the trail is amazing! That's how I want to parent, and I want my kids to know that. I want them to fall without a safety net for the lessons learned, and I want them to know that I will be there to help them back up." I thought back to my wake up call, and the day came full circle. Nolan had crashed to the floor with nothing to cushion his fall, but I was happy to pick him up, brush him off, and plunk him in bed with me to recover.
As I stare out the open window from MY top bunk in tonight's hostel in Larrasoana, I am astounded by the rapid expansion of my inner awareness, and I am, quite frankly, exhausted (could have something to do with the hiking). Fortunately I have many miles ahead to contemplate this mystical journey and make my guidebook author proud.
you guys are amazing! Foster - i love the bandana, you are rocking' it. Brianna - keep that smile coming, you are an inspiration to us all! Nolan - you are the master of the UNIVERSE! Jennifer - WOW!
ReplyDelete