Walking “The Way” Will Change Your Life

A Million Steps

The middle section of the Camino crosses the Meseta, where the wind blows incessantly and the miles stretch on for monotonous days of flat farmland and villages. This part of the trip, they say, is for the mind. The Meseta helped me stop worrying about my past or my future. I had 6-8 hours every day to think about my regrets, including my long-unconscious years of alcoholism. That reflection pushed me to develop a new approach to the past. I tried to go in, learn, and get out! I don’t want to be going to be anchored by some event or trauma from my past. The same goes with the future. While hopes and dreams for a bright forecast are always present, I also refused to walk with eyes solely focused on the horizon.

A Million Steps

On the Camino, feet need a lot of attention. Foot problems can become all consuming, even catastrophic for the Camino pilgrim. They can slow a trip or end it. For Camino pilgrims, vanity disintegrated about 10 minutes into the first day, and they were quick to share the naked foot as some type of trophy. My memory carries twisted images of feet with blisters on the soles, on the heels, in-between the toes, and on the tops. Some blisters were fresh and clear, some disgusting and infected. Many were covered with bandages and moleskin. They were all disturbing to see and worse to endure. They served as a constant source of chatter, an obvious reason for a limp, and one of the few acceptable topics for complaining.