I love the natural dance that is woven into the Camino with each step taken towards Santiago de Compostela.
I love the group's nervous first days, I love the birdsong at dawn, the body in pain adjusting to the rhythm, people already feeling the urge to walk in pairs, then alone. I love looking for the yellow arrows together and singing in a circle embracing the blessing of our day.
Listen to the complaints of those who say: I wish I had brought less things in my backpack, I wish I had followed the checklist, what freedom means walking lighter.
I smile silently and think: I understand you, I've been there.
And maybe when I travel from one continent to another to see my family, I remain the same.
I love giving purpose to everything and showing them how to pay attention to the signs.
I love stopping to write, eating a mouthful sitting on the ground in a field of flowers, or in a simple cafe in a medieval house in the middle of nowhere, but with the footprints of pilgrims from all over the world.
I love the sounds, the colors, the fields, the forests, the skies moving above us in their menu of surprises: sun, wind, rain, everything is balm for the soul.
I love stopping in a small village and when I take my backpack off my back I feel the sweat dripping down, I love filling water bottles in the fountains and the sound of boots walking on the dirt floor, eternal.
I love meeting new people and the silence that occurs at some point when we walk together, just before asking the most important question: Why are you here?
I like to ask myself this over and over again every time I decide to go on the Camino, and also listen to the answers of others.
It is as if God is speaking to us through the heart of the world.
This pulse that beats the same way inside all of us, in the deep search for what is already inside but needs something from outside to awaken and show us.
The path is a big arrow pointing you back to you.
In 2024 we will go again, click on this link and find out all the details: https://www.shirayam.com/soul-walk
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