Addi
New Member
- Time of past OR future Camino
- Frances April/May 24'
About 10 years ago my Mum hiked the Camino Frances, and the seed was planted in my head ever since.
So in May this year I did it too.
It was easily one of the greatest experiences I’ve had.
One of my (many) lessons and thoughts that came from the Camino is the human relationship with time.
For years, I’ve always been looking ahead and waiting for that perfect time when I’m finally on top of things. Then I can finally enjoy myself and finally do the things I want to do.
That perfect moment never comes.
I wasn’t living in the present, I was waiting for a time in the future.
On the Camino, you have the future goal of arriving in Santiago.
But you pretty quickly realise how far off that goal seems.
So, you take it step my step.
Eyes to the ground, slow and steady.
You look up, see just how high the Pyrenees is, so you quickly look back down.
Taking it step, by step.
Eventually, maybe that day up the Pyrenees, or somewhere else along the way, you look back up. And realise how beautiful everything is.
The scenery, the conversations, the laughs, the drinks, the food, the locals. Maybe not the snoring.
So I started to appreciate and look forward to these beautiful little moments each day.
They had always been there.
I just wasn’t paying attention.
I was (metaphorically) busy looking down at my feet.
Since long before the Camino started.
Now on the Camino I also had my camera with me, strapped to my bag. And this caused me a dilemma.
Before the Camino I wanted to make sure I captured everything I saw. Everything.
I tried, early on.
But it took me out of the moment so often.
When I was deep in conversation with someone I didn’t want to leave that bubble.
There is a scene from “The Secret Life of Walter Mitty” where Walter (Ben Stiller) is camped out with a photographer (Sean Penn) waiting for a leopard to appear.
Finally it does.
And the photographer does nothing.
Walter asks “when are you gonna… take it?”
He responds, “Sometimes I don’t. If I like a moment… I don’t like to have the distraction of the camera, just want to stay… in it”
I think that perfectly sums up the mentality I naturally developed on the Camino.
Changing the relationship I had with time and staying in each present moment.
So, did I go all that way without capturing anything? Well that would be a waste of the extra 2kg I had to carry around wouldn’t it!
I decided to make a short film with the few moments I did capture. Along with some words from Alan Watts to try encapsulate the message.
Link:
Camino de Santiago | A Short Film
Would love to hear if anyone had similar thoughts and experiences.
Much love.
Addi
So in May this year I did it too.
It was easily one of the greatest experiences I’ve had.
One of my (many) lessons and thoughts that came from the Camino is the human relationship with time.
For years, I’ve always been looking ahead and waiting for that perfect time when I’m finally on top of things. Then I can finally enjoy myself and finally do the things I want to do.
That perfect moment never comes.
I wasn’t living in the present, I was waiting for a time in the future.
On the Camino, you have the future goal of arriving in Santiago.
But you pretty quickly realise how far off that goal seems.
So, you take it step my step.
Eyes to the ground, slow and steady.
You look up, see just how high the Pyrenees is, so you quickly look back down.
Taking it step, by step.
Eventually, maybe that day up the Pyrenees, or somewhere else along the way, you look back up. And realise how beautiful everything is.
The scenery, the conversations, the laughs, the drinks, the food, the locals. Maybe not the snoring.
So I started to appreciate and look forward to these beautiful little moments each day.
They had always been there.
I just wasn’t paying attention.
I was (metaphorically) busy looking down at my feet.
Since long before the Camino started.
Now on the Camino I also had my camera with me, strapped to my bag. And this caused me a dilemma.
Before the Camino I wanted to make sure I captured everything I saw. Everything.
I tried, early on.
But it took me out of the moment so often.
When I was deep in conversation with someone I didn’t want to leave that bubble.
There is a scene from “The Secret Life of Walter Mitty” where Walter (Ben Stiller) is camped out with a photographer (Sean Penn) waiting for a leopard to appear.
Finally it does.
And the photographer does nothing.
Walter asks “when are you gonna… take it?”
He responds, “Sometimes I don’t. If I like a moment… I don’t like to have the distraction of the camera, just want to stay… in it”
I think that perfectly sums up the mentality I naturally developed on the Camino.
Changing the relationship I had with time and staying in each present moment.
So, did I go all that way without capturing anything? Well that would be a waste of the extra 2kg I had to carry around wouldn’t it!
I decided to make a short film with the few moments I did capture. Along with some words from Alan Watts to try encapsulate the message.
Link:
Camino de Santiago | A Short Film
Would love to hear if anyone had similar thoughts and experiences.
Much love.
Addi
