What did it mean to you?

[JanedS]

Reflecting on my walk from Pamplona to Santiago in May/June 2016, it seems to me now that it is difficult to find or recreate in my every day life the joy that I felt along The Way. I think the essence of that joy was largely simplicity & freedom.
Simplicity in the walk, sleep, eat, repeat routine. Simplicity in relationships, in clothing, in carrying everything I needed in a backpack, in being in nature, the irrelevance of what job you do or what kind of car you drive or how much money you earn.
Freedom to be who I actually am - not identified as someone's wife or mum, freedom to listen to birds, revel in nature, freedom to enjoy relationships & so many interesting people, freedom in breathing fresh air & having space rather than buildings. Freedom to do something you love...
I think the simplicity & freedom of the walk instilled a sense of peace & joy in my heart but find that living back in a city has diminished this somewhat...
Did anyone else feel the same simplicity & freedom? If so - what did they mean to you?

 

[Aidan21]

Hi JanedS,
You have precisely articulated what I love about the Camino and what brings me back; the Simplicity and the Freedom. On the Camino, free from all of the everyday pressures you mention, we can be free and be who we are. Of course when we return home and take up the reins of our normal life that freedom is diminished and can lead to discomfort and disturbance in how we feel and think. On my return from my last Camino it took me nearly 3 months to settle back to my old routine and I still miss the freedom to be the authentic me as I play all the other roles expected of me. On the other hand I am deeply grateful to the Camino for the wonderful, positive and life enhancing experiences that I have enjoyed. The Camino has provided me with much joy and peace as well as the simplicity and freedom of which you speak.
Aidan

 

[FLEUR]

All you need to think about is
1) how far to walk today
2) where to sleep tonight
3) what / where to eat

Hoping the weather is kind and your feet will cope, there's not a lot else to think about.

 

[Deleted member 3000]

In most ways it is a false sense of freedom, freedom available only when you are on the camino. "Real life" has responsibilities. Responsibility for anything except yourself is pretty much gone while on the camino, but returns when one returns home. The trick to conquering the lingering disappointment may be to learn to enjoy the responsibilities instead of viewing them as burdens. Some film in the sixties or seventies had a line of approximately, "life is harder than we ever expected it to be." When our optimism about the promises of life are not met, our expectations are not met. The problem lies in the expectations, not life. Most of us expect very little while trekking, so there is very little closure required to reconcile expectations with experiences. If you can take that attitude home, it helps make the camino withdrawal less intense. Actually, it makes life a bit better!

 

[JanedS]

The trick to conquering the lingering disappointment may be to learn to enjoy the responsibilities instead of viewing them as burdens.

Falcon269 - I'm not sure that, for me, it's a lingering disappointment or viewing responsibilities as burdens. I think that a journey such as the Camino often makes a person reassess life. For
me, I think it's about trying to find what it is that brings me joy & then incorporating that into 'real life' alongside my responsibilities. I found that the unhurried pace & simplicity of the Camino offered a sense of community which is missing from my life in a city. The freedom from responsibility may be 'false' but I think there is a lot we learn along The Way that can make our 'real lives' better...

 

[pilgrim b]

Nice post Janeds You really hit the dilemma spot on, @Falcon you appear to have an excellent explanation for the dilemma. Many thanks to both of you!

 

[Aidan21]

In most ways it is a false sense of freedom, freedom available only when you are on the camino. "Real life" has responsibilities. Responsibility for anything except yourself is pretty much gone while on the camino, but returns when one returns home. The trick to conquering the lingering disappointment may be to learn to enjoy the responsibilities instead of viewing them as burdens. Some film in the sixties or seventies had a line of approximately, "life is harder than we ever expected it to be." When our optimism about the promises of life are not met, our expectations are not met. The problem lies in the expectations, not life. Most of us expect very little while trekking, so there is very little closure required to reconcile expectations with experiences. If you can take that attitude home, it helps make the camino withdrawal less intense. Actually, it makes life a bit better!

Not sure I buy into your view of freedom/responsibility. For me while on the Camino my Freedom was very real and I enjoyed it greatly. Like everything else in life, it comes and then it goes, but while I experience it, it is real. As for the responsibilities I have whilst not on the Camino, I simply accept them as mine and behave accordingly. I do not see my responsibilities as burdens, it is just that I prefer the responsibilities I have whilst on The Way.
Aidan

 

[SabsP]

Reflecting on my walk from Pamplona to Santiago in May/June 2016, it seems to me now that it is difficult to find or recreate in my every day life the joy that I felt along The Way. I think the essence of that joy was largely simplicity & freedom.
Simplicity in the walk, sleep, eat, repeat routine. Simplicity in relationships, in clothing, in carrying everything I needed in a backpack, in being in nature, the irrelevance of what job you do or what kind of car you drive or how much money you earn.
Freedom to be who I actually am - not identified as someone's wife or mum, freedom to listen to birds, revel in nature, freedom to enjoy relationships & so many interesting people, freedom in breathing fresh air & having space rather than buildings. Freedom to do something you love...
I think the simplicity & freedom of the walk instilled a sense of peace & joy in my heart but find that living back in a city has diminished this somewhat...
Did anyone else feel the same simplicity & freedom? If so - what did they mean to you?

For me after some Caminos there is not much difference between a Camino and " real life ".

In daily life I also enjoy the simple pleasures and freedom of fresh air. Even in a busy bustling city I can enjoy what the situation brings me. Driving into town early in the morning and observing the sunrise, sipping a coffee, talking to a friend, receiving a smile from a stranger or a simple hello ...etc etc...

When I work ,and yes this comes with responsibilities, I'm immensely grateful that my job enables me to do something for other people. And it gives me that steady income to be able to walk a Camino in the first place. So another thing to be very grateful for.

But indeed after every Camino I seem to throw away more stuff and keep only the essentials.

Hmm hope I made myself clear?

 

[JanedS]

But indeed after every Camino I seem to throw away more stuff and keep only the essentials.

SabineP - this is something I do too.

 

[CdnDreamer]

I find the joy when I get up Sunday mornings, quickly eat breakfast and then meet a group to hike in the woods. No decisions to make - I just go to where they tell me to be. Then we just follow the trail.

I also find joy when I wash my clothes by hand. I am always so happy to find them dry in the morning.
(I don't do this very often, but sometimes I just want to bring back the feeling of the camino)

 

[JanedS]

Thanks CdnDreamer - your response about hand-washing made me smile! I haven't tried that at home!

 

[marbuck]

the irrelevance of what job you do

Nice to think that is how it is but it is not always so. Last year between Condom and SJPDP on the Le Puy route I had been walking with a Frenchman for a few days when he asked me what I did before I retired. When I replied that I had been a house painter his attitude towards me changed. Within 5 minutes I never saw him again. He had been telling me how educated he was so I presume he did not want to walk with somebody who he considered a peasant.

 

[FLEUR]

In his book "Immortelle randonée Compostelle malgré moi"Jean-Christophe Rufin wrote...after 24 hrs everyone is equal on the Camino it doesn't matter whether you are a teacher, house painter, Doctor or anything else , ........well words to that effect.
Rufin is a member of the Académie francaise , a diplomat and a doctor. My belief is that he is right.
@marbuk I wouldn't give that rediculous "educated man" another thought.

 

[JanedS]

Nice to think that is how it is but it is not always so. Last year between Condom and SJPDP on the Le Puy route I had been walking with a Frenchman for a few days when he asked me what I did before I retired. When I replied that I had been a house painter his attitude towards me changed. Within 5 minutes I never saw him again. He had been telling me how educated he was so I presume he did not want to walk with somebody who he considered a peasant.

Sorry to hear that Marbuck - I didn't come across this on my walk

 

[marbuck]

In his book "Immortelle randonée Compostelle malgré moi"Jean-Christophe Rufin wrote...after 24 hrs everyone is equal on the Camino it doesn't matter whether you are a teacher, house painter, Doctor or anything else , ........well words to that effect.
Rufin is a member of the Académie francaise , a diplomat and a doctor. My belief is that he is right.
@marbuk I wouldn't give that rediculous "educated man" another thought.

My wife and I laughed about it later, it did not put us off our Camino. We are going back for our fourth walk this year, this time in Italy.

 

[marbuck]

Sorry to hear that Marbuck - I didn't come across this on my walk

You do come across all sorts of pilgrims during your walk. Most of them are very nice people.

 

[Bradypus]

@marbuck The Anglican priest who presided at my marriage ran his own small printing press. One day he hired a small lorry to collect paper, ink and other supplies. Derek was wearing ordinary blue jeans and shirt. On his drive he saw a young Francisan friar in his brown habit hitch-hiking. Derek stopped to give the friar a lift. He was newly-professed and very keen to tell Derek all about his religious life. As Derek dropped him off he said "I don't suppose you give many lifts to friars!". As Derek closed the door he simply replied "and I don't suppose you get many lifts from priests driving lorries" Most of us make assumptions of one sort or another about each other. I hope that most of us can rise above that and see the person who is actually standing beside us.

 

[JanedS]

@marbuck I hope that most of us can rise above that and see the person who is actually standing beside us.

Bradypus - I really enjoyed your story! Of course, not everyone is like this, but it was certainly true of the pilgrims that I met along The Way

 

[charliec]

Bradypus - I really enjoyed your story! Of course, not everyone is like this, but it was certainly true of the pilgrims that I met along The Way

this conversation is great. Camino: the comment on the smile for a stranger. Perhaps the Camino gave me the ability to smile foolishly to strangers, men and women, young and old. It has been 5 yrs since my first walk, a wonderful time. Last year while walking in New Bedford, a family I did not know walked the opposite way. We all smiled a bit, but the young girl, about 5 yrs, detached herself and ran up to me to give me a great big hug. I'm sure it is the camino smile.
Thanks all you pelegrinos and camino santiago.

 

[ChloeRose]

Beyond all the physical and simplifying advantages of the Camino, I grew a lot personally by introducing myself to new people every day. I learned more about myself every time, just based off the conversations I had about my life and career choices. Did I really want to be doing X? I started talking to people about my DREAM career instead of my real one, and it helped me figure out how much happier I'd be pursuing the dream instead of the stability of my halfway-dream job.