After the End of The World

Peregrinos walked home. After they came to this end and felt whatever they felt - accomplishment, relief, hope, etc. - they had to turn around and start walking again. This morning I returned to the lighthouse at Finisterre. Last night I had only brought my little bag with my journal, some snacks, and water. As I mentioned in my last post, I even forgot my rocks to jettison. This morning while I journaled and waited for my bus I saw a picture on a postcard that I didn’t take. My gear from 450KM of walking next to the 0.00 marker. Instead of waiting for the bus, I started walking up to the lighthouse again - only 3.2KM away. I made some great photos, and I decided to have a coffee at the world’s end. Because I had my backpack with me, it also meant I brought the stones I had forgotten the day before. Even though I know I didn’t need to leave them to trust God with the future, it felt nice to place them at the foot of the large stone cross built at this place. As I finally turned to leave, walk downhill, and begin my journey home, I realized that this is what most pilgrims have done throughout time (some hitchhike back into town nowadays). No matter what happened to them on their journey, they turned around. They did not stay at the end of the world. They began the journey for the next phase of their lives. Integration has always been a key element I’ve included in debriefings of work teams or transitional coaching or youth retreats - How will we take the experiences, the opportunities, the lessons we’ve learned and 1) integrate them into our lives, and 2) tell the story in appropriate ways to different audiences once we return. It makes me think of something the priest said in his homily on Friday, and Davide said a few different times throughout the past few weeks. Walking Camino is only part of the Camino. The Real Camino happens in everyday life when you choose to live by the positive, life-transforming lessons learned and experienced on the Camino. I hope these next couple of days will allow me space to think of ways to integrate this experience into daily life. I have a myriad of thoughts around this experience of turning around and returning, but if I start to type them now,, this might become a long convoluted mess (more than what it already is). Yet I will leave you with one statement,, one wonder, and one question. It’s never too late to begin the journey back to wholeness, goodness, and truth. I wonder what area of your life you would want to return to goodness and wholeness. What’s one step you can make in that direction today? Until next time, Buen Camino!