An Invitation for an Inner Journey

One pilgrim I have met told me his challenge after the Camino is putting into practice in his daily life all he learns each time he walks (he has done more than five Caminos). The Camino offers an opportunity for people to have an inward journey towards getting to know their true selves, and it offers them a chance to practice living fully alive. I spoke with one cafe owner who sees hundreds of pilgrims a month - and has for eight years since he opened his cafe. In reflecting upon these conversations he believes people who return to the Camino again and again do so because they experience a kind of sacred community that they do not have in their everyday lives. While they may even try to live into these new ways of being, those around them don’t know how to engage them as changed individuals. Yet, when these pilgrims return to the Camino they find people with similar experiences and desires, and people who offer grace and kindness in the midst of imperfection and weakness. Some of the questions I’m pondering are: “How will I share with others so they feel invited in to a story rather than set apart from it?” “How can I implement any changes I experience here into life once I return to routines?” “How can I live with my weaknesses and imperfections without fear of judgement?” Until next time, Buen Camino!