First Camino

[Barobins]

Sometimes I have this fear that at the end of the next 40 days, I won’t change. And I want to change. Really bad.

 

[SYates]

Relax and don't expect change to hit you immediately - Sometimes it takes a lot of time for a Camino to 'sink in'.
BC SY

 

[Tincatinker]

In 40 days we will all have changed. For you, on camino, those changes will be great or small, profound or subtle. Take slow breaths; put one foot in front of the other; walk, eat, sleep, repeat.

Meanwhile, gather up all that fear. Go deep into that need. Pull all that emotion in close. Then put it into a stone or a relic. Take that totem with you. And somewhere on camino when the time and place is right put it down and walk away.

Buen camino @Barobins

 

[Deleted member 3000]

People don't change, so you have your work cut out for you!!

 

[nycwalking]

Let the changes you seek find you.

Buen camino.

 

[Rick M]

Everyone gets everything they want. The trick is knowing the difference between wanting and wishing, and then recognizing what your wants actually are.

Buen Camino

 

[jcat]

Enjoy the journey !!!!

 

[C clearly]

Don't expect the camino to be a magic wand. It isn't. The camino may help you think through your "problems" but you need to develop the solutions yourself. That takes commitment and work over a long time, and there will be ups and downs to navigate.

 

[Juspassinthru]

And, our journey never ends. After my CF, while staring out from the cliff at Finisterre, I realized I’d not finished my Camino, I’d only just started it.

 

[Wokabaut_Meri]

If you want to change real bad, you are already changing and anything that you can see and describe, you are already bigger than. It's wonderful that you're so open to changing.

Relax... enjoy the journey and don't look for change... it will find you along the Way in ways you cannot even begin to imagine.

Buen Camino

 

[RJM]

You want to change into what? What are you expecting and what leads you to believe that Camino will change you?
The Camino is, was and always will be foremost a religious pilgrimage. It did not come into existence as a self-help walk, though no doubt it is indeed that for many people.

 

[Hurry Krishna]

Sometimes I have this fear that at the end of the next 40 days, I won’t change. And I want to change. Really bad.

As others have suggested, its a big experience. It will have an impact - whether or not it is exactly what you are looking for. Hope you have a wonderful time.

 

[lt56ny]

The more you think about it the less you will receive. You are already way up in your head. As I have said nothing good comes from thinking. Let it happen. You want to drain your brain as you walk. Spend alot of time walking alone and let your head fill up with all your s#@t until it explodes and that junk drips out your ears. Then when it is gone I bet good things will come in. I am sure you have your head filled with how or what you want to change. The likelihood is what will occur will have nothing to do with what you are thinking now. Relax, take a breath, and take it one step at a time. Very little of what you imagine will actually happen when you are on your first camino. I have a feeling many veteran pilgrims would agree with me.

 

[RRat]

Sometimes I have this fear that at the end of the next 40 days, I won’t change. And I want to change. Really bad.

At the end of forty days you will be the same person. Perhaps a better person. You will have a new chapter added to your life and perhaps a better chapter than the ones before it.

 

[Fernandez]

Sometimes I have this fear that at the end of the next 40 days, I won’t change. And I want to change. Really bad.

I know what you mean. When I arrived in Sarria I saw three beautiful sculptures at their museum (old prison) that depicted the three stages of personal growth with a wonderful description. I wish I would have seen/read them before I started. But still found them very inspiring and set me on the right path to change. Highly recommend stopping by.

 

[rmike]

Sometimes I have this fear that at the end of the next 40 days, I won’t change. And I want to change. Really bad.

I don’t think a pilgrimage changes you directly. There is peace, there is joy, there is friendship and all of these things affect you. But ultimately the change comes from applying what you learn. Enjoy the silence, enjoy the beauty, enjoy the peace, be open to friendships, and be open to wisdom. And write things down!

 

[alhartman]

Pilgrimage alone does not change the pilgrim. It gives the pilgrim a safe environment to orchestrate their own change.

We are all overstimulated in our modern lives. And the Camino reduces us to eat, sleep, walk, wash clothes, and talk to our fellow pilgrim. That is a great environment for change.

Change comes to those who work—and some preparatory work with your minister, counselor, sponsor, priest, shrink, dietitian, prayer, meditation, or reading can go a long way to helping achieve the change you want or need. Essentially the ‘spiritual preparation’ that goes along with a Camino.

However, the physical work will guarantee you become more aware and listen more acutely to your body—it is far more physically taxing that we experience in our everyday lives.

And keep expectations low—no ‘Paul on the road to Damascus’ is likely to happen. No magic; just some fun and rewarding work!!

Buen Camino.

 

[willydp]

Carpe Diem No stress...let it happen.
You have probably to many questions ... perhaps to many expectations... You will see that all this worrying before your start was not worth it when you are walking your Camino and getting in the rhythm of walking daily
You can always come to this nice forum to find kindred spirits to 'talk' to.
Buen Camino

 

[Herm]

In 40 days we will all have changed. For you, on camino, those changes will be great or small, profound or subtle. Take slow breaths; put one foot in front of the other; walk, eat, sleep, repeat.

Meanwhile, gather up all that fear. Go deep into that need. Pull all that emotion in close. Then put it into a stone or a relic. Take that totem with you. And somewhere on camino when the time and place is right put it down and walk away.

Buen camino @Barobins

I always look forward to reading your posts. Very inspiring and insightful. I too am about to embark on my first Camino on November 9th.

 

[trecile]

If you are undertaking the Camino with any expectations you will surely be disappointed. Along with fears, expectations are the worst things to bring on the Camino.

 

[hel&scott]

When we walked our first Camino we didn't worry about it changing us, we were more focused on completing each day and making it to the end. It wasn't till after we finished that we realised that the Camino had got to us, and changed us. So we went back, never with expectations, just for the joy of being out on the open road and away from our normal life.

Now after months on the road and thousands of kms behind me, I have leant that toenails are expendable (they grow back), there is always another hill, and that life doesn't always treat you kindly. You make your own way, sometimes that's not the change you want but it's the one you have to live with.

 

[Dani7]

If I felt as you do I would make a list of the things I want to change about myself and why. And put into practice some of those changes during my walk to practice these new behaviours if and when possible. When your Camino is done you will be returning back to your « normal » life with all the same factors and triggers that were there before you left. Change happens with brutal honesty and practising new behaviours. Having said all that your Camino will give you time to ponder and « just be ». What a gift you are giving yourself with this time « to just be ».

 

[Bob from L.A. !]

In life change is inevitable. It's what you do with it that counts. A Camino may just be a stepping stone to bring you to something else.

 

[Robi Diaz De Vivar]

Sometimes I have this fear that at the end of the next 40 days, I won’t change. And I want to change. Really bad.

By the end of 40days you will have changed. If you just let the Camino wash over you I believe you will come out the other end with a calmer broader vision of life. However if you throw yourself into it and enjoy all of the inevitable interaction with all of your fellow pelegrinos, many from countries that you have never heard of before, you will emerge from the other side with the biggest grin that you have ever had and will sit down at your PC to start to plan your next Camino. Well that's what happened to me.

 

[David61]

Sometimes I have this fear that at the end of the next 40 days, I won’t change. And I want to change. Really bad.

Into a dolphin?

 

[Andres Cano]

Pilgrimage alone does not change the pilgrim. It gives the pilgrim a safe environment to orchestrate their own change.

We are all overstimulated in our modern lives. And the Camino reduces us to eat, sleep, walk, wash clothes, and talk to our fellow pilgrim. That is a great environment for change.

Change comes to those who work—and some preparatory work with your minister, counselor, sponsor, priest, shrink, dietitian, prayer, meditation, or reading can go a long way to helping achieve the change you want or need. Essentially the ‘spiritual preparation’ that goes along with a Camino.

However, the physical work will guarantee you become more aware and listen more acutely to your body—it is far more physically taxing that we experience in our everyday lives.

And keep expectations low—no ‘Paul on the road to Damascus’ is likely to happen. No magic; just some fun and rewarding work!!

Buen Camino.

I agree. I asked the camino a question. I thought about the question all along the route. I found the answer, it was not what I initially thought or wanted but the answer it gave me was the truth. It may not end nicely for me but I least I walk forward now in truth, and that's something.

 

[Camino Chrissy]

My five various caminos have all exceeded my expectations...I am now planning my 6th.