Angels Along the Way
Angels Along the Way
by Bick Treut | Somerville, NJ
There are angels, true bodhisattvas, tuned to different frequencies along the Camino, just as there are during our lifespan. They share an intention or purpose and over time those intentions mature. Looking at a large group of people, you can intuitively spot the ones who are tuned to your intention. At home, they are your friends or those you’d like to get to know. On the Camino, they quickly become traveling companions. While each of us said “Hi,” told a joke or two, and explained why we were walking, I became one of a band of angels that formed while touring Sarria to Santiago de Compostela one step at a time.
We each started on the Camino alone fascinated with the sanctity of the trek and stimulated by documentaries, websites, and books. We didn’t know one another, and we met at different points along the way, except for two Barcelonans walking together. The Barcelonans recognized Jason, from Taiwan, because they had been afraid to bunk next to him at an albergue the night before. They were still feeling bad about ditching him, so they were grateful for the chance to reconnect. I had shared a protein bar with one of the Barcelonans earlier when she was exhausted and famished in a food line. We formally met the next day when they stopped to say “thanks” (one of the few English words they knew), and they introduced me to Jason. Camila, from Mexico, a hiking partner since Portomarín, translated and taught us words of the Catalan they spoke. Jason was self-effacing, affable, quick on insights, and always interested in stopping to eat. Jenye, from China, shared insights into the Buddhist culture she was raised in that tied into my own practice. They were all brilliant and in their late 20s. I was the 68-year-old American guy who trained. Guess who complained the most about foot and ankle pain?
Encouragement, laughter, empathy, and compassion were the spirits holding this group together while compelling us to move forward. We shared a wonderful meal in O Pedrouzo. We told stories about where we live and what it’s like to live there. Each of us can now repeat those stories at our dinner tables around the world.
A band of angels on the same frequency. Add that to the list of miracles found on the Camino de Santiago.
