The girls slipped out long before dawn to walk with Jeff and his daughter, their headlamps bobbing away. Gus and Jude kept me company for all of five minutes. Just long enough to spot an early-opening bakery, then vanished in pursuit of warm bread. And there I was: one set of footsteps, one shadow, an empty stretch of Camino ahead.
A good Camino is filled with many different feelings. Happiness, Sadness, Boredom, Confusion, Excitement and many others. Today was Loneliness. But don’t worry, it was great :)
As I trodded out alone, Arthur C. Brooks’s From Strength to Strength played through my earbuds, my brother’s gentle nudge toward mid-life wisdom. Brooks invites the reader to picture their own end - your death, your decomposition and the eventual transition of your bones into dust. Your reputation fading to silence. It focuses you to so what truly matters can float to the surface.
I let the loneliness pour over me and if I’m honest, brought my self to tears. I live a very blessed life and I am surrounded by people that love me. I recently read a book about different stages of parenting. It said for your children, until about 8 years old, you are the most and important and coolest person in the world to them. Then all of a sudden their mind starts changing. I’m pretty darn cool, so this transition probably happens a lot later, but alas as some point they do find someone that they find to be ever so slightly cooler. Teresa and I have been blessed with child after child, so this cycle has gone on for 20 some years. And while some are leaving this stage, there are more coming right into consciousness and I get to start all over with being the coolest. That time is eventually coming to an end and I will very soon be coming into the world of grand parenthood. Within a couple of weeks now. Teresa and I couldn’t be happier for Blaise and Grace. All this to say, I can feel things shifting. I want to be ready to fully engaged in this part of life. My yearly Camino adventures have been like bowling ally guard rails to keep the ball moving in the right direction of the goal. Today felt like a bump back into the center of the alley.
Hours later the path spilled us into Pontevedra, and the mood tipped and transitioned into excitement. A music festival was underway. With our crew re-assembled, we chased ice cream, applauded street musicians, and celebrated with sodas from Burger King because apparently authenticity tastes like Xtra Large cups.
Evening Mass at the main chapel overflowed, so we slipped into a quieter convent chapel nearby. It was the perfect treat as it was one of the churches on our list to see. In a 2 block radius there were 2 Masses at 7:30pm and one at 8pm. That is at least the ones we knew about.
After Mass we were treated to a couple of different concerts including a good old Hoe-Down. Really a Hoe Down. Don't believe me. Mercedes Peon was the main act and I don't know how else to explain the instrument she is playing....
Today did feel a little selfish. I did get some good prayer and thinking checked off my list, but today on out, I'll be walking with my kiddos. I will have to think more when I get home.