“All journeys have secret destinations of which the traveler is unaware.”
Martin Buber
We are home! For real this time!
Our flight from New York was uneventful except for the the barely contained giddiness and excitement of the girls as the wheels touched the ground. “Our parents are actually in there?” they said, half asking and half commenting. After 52 days of traveling, family and friends were sorely missed. I had to remind them not to run when we got into the terminal and that it would be nice if they all walked through together. Sure enough, as we rounded the corner in PDX where people can wait for arrivals, each girl spotted someone to run to and they couldn’t contain themselves. All I could make out were flashes of smiles and hugs from the crowd that had gathered for their return. Thanks to everyone for making our return one last special moment on this trip.
And just like that, it was over. We quickly split up and we all made our individual way home. Sometimes it takes a little bit of time to fully comprehend what we just went through so I will wait a couple of weeks to ask the girls to write a follow-up to finish out the blog for this trip. As for me, thanks once again for everyone who supported this trip in any way shape or form. Whether it was financially backing the kids or simply providing a kind word of encouragement, you all participated in making a huge impact on our lives. I told the girls once that traveling, and specifically the Camino, will continue to give you gifts long after you step off the trail. I hope over the coming days, weeks, and months they will continue to be recipients of lessons learned along the way. On the plane, I wrote out a few of the ones we were fortunate to experience.
Simplicity:
We just spent the vast majority of our summer with all of our possessions in a little backpack. We were perfectly happy.
Vanity:
Make-up and brand name clothes don’t make us who we are. A couple of us walked all day in garbage bags. We were perfectly happy.
Gratitude: A happy person is someone who can still recognize luxury in the simplest of things, a warm shower, nice bed, cold water, and good food.
Adversity: People will ask how we walked 500+ miles through mountains, river valleys, flat plains, dark mornings and hellish afternoon sun, rain showers and biting cold. Remember that it was most definitely not done in one day over a single step. We achieved this through simple steps, one after the other, through injury, pain, boredom, misery.
Acceptance: We accept that injury, pain, boredom, and misery are part of the experience of life. Without them, we wouldn’t have had the laughter, the companionship, the loving kindness, and gratitude we also experienced.
Kindness: Remember the sound of the door cracking open the morning of our first thundershower and the woman motioning us inside from the rain. Remember the words of encouragement from your fellow pilgrims. Especially remember that every pilgrim, just like everyone at home, is carrying a burden that may not be entirely visible. Be gentle, be kind, and be accepting of everyone you meet.
Thanks again for following our journey.
Buen Camino,
James
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