Ah, the good old days, when I mused about important equipment needed for a 500 mile pilgrimage! With 3 days of walking left, let's discuss what I now see as important stuff.
Surprisingly, my most notable equipment pieces are my poles. How did I gut it out this long? By poling until I thought my arms would fall off. Taking a third of the weight off my lower extremities has been crucial, and when my feet and ankle tendons were screaming for mercy, poles gave them a little relief. Going up hills? Kick it into 4 wheel drive: rear end out, pack weighted on lower back, poles out front, and watch me bear crawl up the mountains past every one of those youngsters like they were sitting still. An added bonus? Guns. I figure I'll be arm wrestling at the local pool halls for a few weeks at least. Next, boots, an obvious choice, but worth a shout out, for they saved my ankles more than a few times, although now they are creating a few problems. Not sure if I will clean and keep them for future use, let the dust and manure harden and then mount them on my mantle, or chuck them off a cliff like in a movie I saw not too long ago. Finally, my light pack must be mentioned. Granted, I had a sherpa with me to help ensure weight distribution, but the pack itself was a super terrific happy pack in terms of comfort. In my humble opinion, a light pack is make ya or break ya, on back, knees, feet, all
over. Want to enjoy (using that term lightly) hiking? Get a good fitting pack that's light.
Now that was simple, huh? Guess what wasn't in the list? Stuff. Makeup (and on the Camino no one ever asks if you're feeling bad just because you have no makeup on), more than 2 sets of clothes, hair products, jewelry, and on and on. I've been working on decontenting for a while, but this Camino has given me pause as to what we have, what we need, and what really matters. Are you and I killing ourselves for stuff? Are we setting up our kids to chase an American consumerism lifestyle that will leave them empty and wondering what this life is all about? There's nothing wrong with buying something, anything, at any time. But how much thought have we put into the reasons for the stuff? How long will it likely be before we tire of it and replace it? Will it bring true happiness or just a temporary high?
My life can be fulfilling without all the extras. In fact, every void in my life has been filled by my personal relationship with Jesus. He fills the hole in my heart, and I believe He can and will do that for anyone who asks. All that stuff? The world shouts that we must have the latest and greatest, but which will get eaten by moths eventually. I choose to set my sight on an eternal Buen Camino.
Surprisingly, my most notable equipment pieces are my poles. How did I gut it out this long? By poling until I thought my arms would fall off. Taking a third of the weight off my lower extremities has been crucial, and when my feet and ankle tendons were screaming for mercy, poles gave them a little relief. Going up hills? Kick it into 4 wheel drive: rear end out, pack weighted on lower back, poles out front, and watch me bear crawl up the mountains past every one of those youngsters like they were sitting still. An added bonus? Guns. I figure I'll be arm wrestling at the local pool halls for a few weeks at least. Next, boots, an obvious choice, but worth a shout out, for they saved my ankles more than a few times, although now they are creating a few problems. Not sure if I will clean and keep them for future use, let the dust and manure harden and then mount them on my mantle, or chuck them off a cliff like in a movie I saw not too long ago. Finally, my light pack must be mentioned. Granted, I had a sherpa with me to help ensure weight distribution, but the pack itself was a super terrific happy pack in terms of comfort. In my humble opinion, a light pack is make ya or break ya, on back, knees, feet, all
over. Want to enjoy (using that term lightly) hiking? Get a good fitting pack that's light.
Now that was simple, huh? Guess what wasn't in the list? Stuff. Makeup (and on the Camino no one ever asks if you're feeling bad just because you have no makeup on), more than 2 sets of clothes, hair products, jewelry, and on and on. I've been working on decontenting for a while, but this Camino has given me pause as to what we have, what we need, and what really matters. Are you and I killing ourselves for stuff? Are we setting up our kids to chase an American consumerism lifestyle that will leave them empty and wondering what this life is all about? There's nothing wrong with buying something, anything, at any time. But how much thought have we put into the reasons for the stuff? How long will it likely be before we tire of it and replace it? Will it bring true happiness or just a temporary high?
My life can be fulfilling without all the extras. In fact, every void in my life has been filled by my personal relationship with Jesus. He fills the hole in my heart, and I believe He can and will do that for anyone who asks. All that stuff? The world shouts that we must have the latest and greatest, but which will get eaten by moths eventually. I choose to set my sight on an eternal Buen Camino.