Yesterday we left the big city, Logrono, and made our way back into the small villages and rolling countryside. I was glad. Besides all the pavement walking, the city was noisy, commercialized, and full of stuff, shiny, expensive stuff. It wasn't a temptation, but it wasn't what I wanted to be noticing. I wanted to be taking in simple living: simple food, simple day to day activities, simple smiles from such as we had seen in the days before. Today the villages were back, one after another, with old women sweeping off their stoops, children playing with their footballs in the square, old men gossiping with cafes in hand. A steady stream of pilgrims marches dutifully onward in line, but not without stopping for a croissant or banana, or both, and of course to fill the water bottles at the town's obligatory fountain. When the pilgrims stop, they don't just eat and rest, they bond with each other. They don't judge, they listen. They don't interrupt to get their points in, they pause and appreciate the information being given. Perhaps not earth shattering stuff, but important nevertheless, like "How are you feeling today" or "I have some extra bandages you can have," the kinds of words that come from not only reaching out in love but towards a place of commonality. There's a term for this: community.
Are we capable of this in day to day life, or does it only happen when a group of people decide to start walking a common path? Guess what folks-we ARE walking a common path! Let's remember that. Remind me when I get caught up in the shiny stuff to focus on the community of which I am a part, and like all the kindhearted villagers do, be more interested in wishing those around me, "Buen Camino!"
Are we capable of this in day to day life, or does it only happen when a group of people decide to start walking a common path? Guess what folks-we ARE walking a common path! Let's remember that. Remind me when I get caught up in the shiny stuff to focus on the community of which I am a part, and like all the kindhearted villagers do, be more interested in wishing those around me, "Buen Camino!"