Towards the end of a long second day on the Norte I stopped at the top of a hill in Deba where a number of pilgrims were resting near a ruin and filling water bottles. I had some trouble removing my pack and impatiently tossed it on the ground in exhausted frustration. An hour or so later after descending the hill and taking a few wrong turns (the first lesson in not following the pilgrims in front of you before making sure you’re on the path), and arriving at the beach, I realized that I no longer had the little pouch that attached to my shoulder strap, nothing much of value, a spare pare of glasses, lip balm, a few euros, however the worst thing was I had tucked a piece of paper with my hotel name and address and had no idea where to go and was in a complete panic, but trying not to panic and not be so hard on myself. I finally thought to call home and have my husband check his copy of my itinerary (why did it take me so long to figure that out?! And why didn’t I have a copy of it on my phone?!). An hour later at my hotel I tried to explain to the woman who checked me in that I had lost something, but her English was limited (not as limited as my Spanish) and I didn’t think she understood me. About two hours later she surprised me by knocking on my door to tell me someone had found it and called the hotel after finding the paper! She arranged to have a baggage transport person deliver it to my next day’s hotel so I only was without my belongings for a day. I never found out who was kind enough to take care of my pouch, neither the hotel receptionist nor the luggage driver would accept a tip as a thank you, but I learned a number of important lessons!
1. Take a picture of my next day’s destination in case I lost the paper. That also made it easier to find my hotel when arriving at my destination as I didn't have to type in the address in Google Maps (I seemed to always get turned around in cities trying to find my hotel, so used Google Maps to get there and then back on the route the next morning).
2. Remembering not to be too hard on myself when I make a mistake. This is one of those challenging lessons, still learning, but I often think back on that day when I start beating myself up over something.
3. Being grateful for the random kindness of strangers - especially this, and repaying it. Be good, do good.
4. And most importantly, I thought a lot about throwing down my pack in a moment of frustration, which is surely when the pouch came off the strap. It was totally my own fault and why was I letting anger get the better of me especially over such a trivial matter of taking off my pack (yeah isn’t it always such a pain, but still….). For me, one of those lessons I try to keep in mind now every time I find myself getting frustrated and impatient with something.
Of course I lost other things too, my guidebook somewhere after the second week leaving me with just Buen Camino app which was enough although I likely missed out on knowing about some attractions along the way. I some how also lost my passport the day before I was to depart Santiago. I wasn’t completely sure but I thought I left it in the pilgrims office in Santiago after getting my credential (I had kept it with my pilgrims passport in a dry sack the entire 6 weeks and had been so careful to always return it to ithe same pocket in my pack, and didn’t realize it until after the office was closed) - which meant I missed my early morning flight. So I spent the evening trying not to panic too much (I had a picture of my passport on my phone and was spending another week in Spain so I kept telling myself, if I have to replace it, it's a hassle but I have time to do it, and trying to let go of all the chatter in my head so I could get to sleep) and hoping it would be there. After 42 days of being so careful, how could I have lost track of it on the last day! Fortunately it was there and I was able to get a seat on the next flight. I guess by the end I had somehow let down my guard during an emotional moment - I hadn't even planned on getting a credential, but when I returned to Santiago after finishing at Muxia there was no line and I decided to do it, and surprised to find myself tearing up when speaking to the volunteer about my Camino. The price of a new ticket was a small price to pay to recover my passport and go on my way without having to deal with replacing. The later flight also meant a much more leisurely departure and being able to enjoy a lovely hotel breakfast! So like everything else, it all worked out. One of the reasons we walk the Camino, to remind ourselves of these important lessons (and then try to live them when we return).
It was a funny moment.
It was a magic hat ! We all had a good laugh!
