(photo P Volker)
We all were taking those pics of our shadows all stretched out on the road ahead with the sun rising behind us in the east. Those dawns when we were up early and grumpy and stiff. The Ibuprofen was just starting to find some body parts to help, there were so many screaming. The air was fresh, the birds chirped.
Thinking of Cris right now. What would she write if she were doing this? Of course she would write of possibilities. That the new dawn equates with new possibilities. It’s usually takes a cafe con leche or two to appreciate that notion for me anyway. But it was true. We had a new view, a new ever changing panorama to enjoy. New pilgrims would seem to pop up just when we needed them to help us laugh or cry. It was all sort of wide open.
What about that phrase that we us all the time, “It dawned on me.” How does that work? We recognize or realize. We all of a sudden get something, like an understanding of a concept or answer to a problem. Maybe that kind of thing was happening also. That we would be connecting the dots in some of the uncharted areas of our lives. We were figuring things as we moved along.
Well, you know what today is here in the States, it’s Super Bowl Sunday. The most important football game of the year, the mother lode of sports is happening. Even Amanda Gorman will be in on it with her exquisite poetry.
OK, time to go walk with Catherine. Not a bad morning, a little chilly.
exquisite poetry loves, Felipé.
Dear boss,
Ohhhh I have missed coming here to comment!!! Suddenly, three weeks went by, and I don’t even know where that time went… I moved from one week of total disconnection with the Benedictines in the Abbey with no phone signal and no internet other when a “wave” coming from somewhere would meet my phone in its trajectory and emails and messages would come in (and I could reply, but would never know when they would be sent!) to two normal days, to almost 5 days with no power at home (1 million users affected)… so no fridge, no stove, at a point almost no water in the building tanks, no internet, no battery for the phones, no air conditioning (with nights with temperatures over 90*F)… all while working from a coffee shop, and the need to catch up from work after the week off… And from that, I moved to week with unexpected double work, as my team mate came down with the virus (and truly worrying, as she isn’t doing well)…
So, I have read some posts but had no time (or battery!) to comment… but how couldn’t I comment today? (and not because you “called me”, but because this is a topic of my interest!) In the early dawns, especially at the beginning, I used to think how did I get so lucky to have the opportunity to be there? I spent lots of time reflecting how it was that I had arrived to the Camino and I was having that experience… and a lot of times, I thought of the things that had happened to me, many not of my like or choice, that also were responsible for taking me to the Camino.
And some days, I just cried; not because what I was thinking was sad or even emotional or so joyful that tears were needed, retrospectively, I think it was a mix of appreciation of life and my own life and gratitude, but in a deeper level not available for consciousness… a few times just thinking I was in this endeavor of crossing a country by walking in the 21st century as people used to do in other “era” made me cry too.
But you also know me well, and the last days were a lot about the possibilities… what had I learnt that was calling me to action once I would be back home? or even way shorter term learnings, and what had I learned that I would put in place and bring up in my conversation with the next fellow that would walk next to me…
But the biggest lessons of those dawns were around the fact that no matter what, the sun was coming out every day…
Love you always!
Cris
Cris ~ My Rebecca just said how did she survive? Then a pause. Then she said, well she is a pilgrim. There you go. I think we could put you in for combat pay though. Yike, crazy times!
Welcome back to the neighborhood after all that. Yea, I started a review of the Beatitudes which I think will fill up February when I am usually bitching about how long winter is this year. So it is a good thing.
And thanks for your thoughts on dawns. Some great precious memories coming out! Felipé.x