Yesterday we made it to Melide, barely. It was an over 32 km day and by the end of it, I was concerned I would have to drag dad. But we made it to a really nice place to stay. And most importantly about Melide is that I FINALLY got churros con chocolate. I'm sure the lady at the counter was very confused why I did not take her suggestion to move to the patio instead of immediately inhaling them at the bar, but I got tunnel vision and all I could think about was getting them in my belly.
Today was kind of rough for me because of a pretty bad pain in my foot. It got bad enough that I wanted to find a pilgrim clinic (those exist) but the only thing available at the time was the clinic for the general public and I got scared. So I decided to suck it up for the rest of the day and see how I feel tomorrow. Plus, most likely they would tell me to take a rest and there is no way in hell in doing that when I am one day out from Santiago. We stopped at this really sweet place for the night which is kind of a complex with a restaurant and wading pool, which my feet have loved. And we are washing allllllllll of our clothes praise God.
Because dad and I have been in alternating days of pain, there hasn't been a lot of time for talking, mostly thinking in solitude. Which has lead me to think a lot about what I have to take away from this experience. I am a firm believer that every experience in life has a purpose, something to talk with you through the rest of your life. I'm sure those of you reading are thinking "Shouldn't she have had a purpose in mind before she went on a pilgrimage 5,000 miles away where she walks 300 kilometers?" Probably, but I didn't really. I started truly planning this journey 9 months ago out of a sense of loss and pain. I needed something to look forward to in order to escape what I was feeling. And while things have improved significantly since that point, I still wanted to go and I still didn't know what I would learn from it. So here are a couple lessons that I think God has taught me specifically for this season of my life.
Human resilience- I have been overwhelmed by the variety of resilience I have witnessed these two weeks. It varied from seeing people with their entire foot bandaged due to blisters who are continuing on regardless of the pain or the South African who had his entire farm seized by the government with no compensation whatsoever or the French man who fell on his face and had hundreds of stitches only to keep going. All of these stories and more have opened my eyes to just how much the human spirit can take and bounce back from. I think particularly as I go into my first year of teaching, this is something that I am going to need to carry with me. I love my job and my kids more than anything, but that doesn't mean it isn't hard. There are expectations set for myself and my kids by a higher power that sometimes seem impossible. And outside of school, my kids face daily challenges including poverty, tough neighborhoods, discrimination, and relatives being deported to name a few. It's easy to get bogged down in all of this and sometimes feel helpless and inadequate in more ways than one. But being here has opened my eyes to what people are capable of overcoming and has challenged me to keep this mentality in my own life as well as encourage my kids to have this kind of attitude.
The vastness of the human experience- we have dragged our butts all over the north of Spain. Over mountains, through valleys, through flat farmland, and through every size city and hamlet you can imagine. We have met and had extensive conversations with at least 100 different people in 2 different languages, 3 if you count body language and gesturing. And while I like to consider myself a well travelled person, this walk has opened my eyes to so many different kinds of lifestyles and beliefs that I didn't even know existed anymore. All of that to say, I want my kids (both students and future children) to have their eyes opened through my journey and be inspired to take their own. I don't want my students to think the world revolves around Memphis or to not know what their heritage means because they are separated from it by miles and time. I want to give them a taste of the vastness I have seen and experienced and then say "Now go see it for yourself." And I know this will look different for everyone and that's okay. I only want to plant the seed, to have them just start to open their eyes to the beauty of what God has created around them.
We have one more day left of walking. One more day until we officially get the piece of paper that says we are pilgrims. But I know my pilgrimage is not finished yet. Mine will continue into every job I have, every relationship I make, and every place I go. My pilgrimage will continue for the rest of my life with God whispering in my ear, "What can you learn from what I'm showing you? And more importantly, how can you share it?" Those are the questions I will always find myself searching for the answers to.
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