Yesterday amongst all the stuff I was trying to scratch off my to-do list I wanted to get up to town for Ray’s party. By town I mean Vashon town not Seattle. This was definitely a home town deal I was after.
Ray was an Army vet, school teacher kind of guy. And somehow before you know it he had worked 38 years at the local lumber yard. He was that guy. And he was finally retiring and the yard was throwing him a party. Yea so, I got up there to pay tribute to Ray the guy that kept the beat, that guy.
When I think back on people that have been influences in my life over the years I have a lot of guys that were Ray kind of guys. I don’t know if the world has a lot of them or whether my particular life had a lot of them or whether I just noticed them, sort of picked them out. But whatever Ray was that guy in his particular universe, the lumber yard.
Now as I think about this I realize that I may be that guy for a set of people. There are hundreds of cancer patients that I come into contact with either directly or indirectly. And the nurses at the hospital tell me I am on uncharted ground with my 101 chemo treatments. Am I that guy who shows other people the way? Am I the guy that people look to to see on how it should be done? Could be I guess.
It sounds like a big responsibility although it isn’t rocket surgery. Just sort of one foot in front of the other and keeping it all going forward cheerfully. Geez that makes it sound like I march around at the hospital singing camp songs. Well that is not the case but there is something here.
So, walking in a few minutes. We are having a little rain today. Wet love, Felipe.
Yes, Felipe, you are that kind of guy. I’ve only spent a flash-in-time with you and I’ve told your story as I understand it to many. Sometimes with tears. And you are not just that kind of guy for cancer survivors and caregivers, but to the Camino community.
So many of us had no confidence that we could put one foot in front of another enough times to end the first day let alone walking to our chosen end point. But many of us got to the end only to find out it was the beginning. The real Camino seems to be sharing the lessons with those who drift into our lives – either like Ray, long term, or like me, an hour or two.
Thank you for sharing your life with so many, I hope to see you again on your magical island.
Ron ~ Thanks for coming and enriching our Camino. We find out things and clarify things by conversing. At least with me ideas are foggy until we bat them around a while. You are a good man Ron, hang around, I need you. Phil.
Hola Felipe,
I absolutely agree with Ron. I shared your story today also.
But I do not think you are “that kind of guy” because of your 101 treatment, I think you are that “kind of guy” because you went out to the world and started to share how it is to wake up in the morning and LIVE a LIFE. Yours. As Emilio Estevez tells to Martin Sheen: “you do not choose a life dad, you live one.”
And there is where most of inspiration, at least for me, comes from: you may put one foot in front of another, but not “to last”, and you can just “move” or “walk” and you are walking. And I say this recognizing that I sometimes just “move”, so you are my kind of reminder that my life is meaningful when I “walk”.
Some weeks ago you wrote about the reasons for this blog, and you quoted me kind of saying I come to read and share about the Camino, and that is true… your blog is a lovely place to remember the Camino, the albergues, how it was… but for me, it is more important to come and learn more and more how it is to “walk” in this life. And by “walking”, living this life of mine. No matter it is not the one I would have chosen or dreamt for myself, but the one (only one) I have.
And when I walk, I have the chance to go slow enough to realize that the lines from David Whyte I posted yesterday are true: “What you can plan is to small for you to live.”
You are the “kind of guy” to teach me that. And I am not wrong when I say you are that to many, not only me.
With gratitude and love from Buenos Aires
Cris
Cris ~ thank you dear. You are always so thoughtful and through. You take the time to work through ideas. I appreciate all that. Yes, how to walk in this life is what we are getting at here at Caminoheads and at Phil’s Camino. We have been trained, now we need to walk the walk. And that David Whyte quote may be an amplification on our walk. Thanks Cris. I will try and call tomorrow (Friday). I was going to call today but got all wrapped up with my work. Keep me thinking and feeling. Felipe.x
Sometimes I think my camino is all about food, and maybe that is how I should be thinking of all this food as a farmer, and 9 people at my house, 3 meals a day, soon to be 11. No wonder I have not yet made it to walk with you! But it IS my goal for fall, once a week, to share life:). I look forward to it:). Jennifer also.
Smiling at the camp song image. I am guessing you can’t sing, but that is because of all else you can do. Maybe you can sing? But for sure I know you would sing, will sing, are not afraid to be singing:).
Glad you got to show up for Ray…
Michelle ~ and thank you for keeping the beat down there at the farm. But yes, you must get away once in a while too. I find myself spending too much time on the road. Then I am continually playing catchup when I’m here. Just working on repairing the shower which has been apart for over a year. That will be a good one to get off the list. In other news the early corn is finally hitting it’s stride, picking more than two dozen ears a day. The later corn, Bodacious, is looming. I’m trying to paint a 8 foot tall corn cob to put out by the stand. Major fun, Felipe.x