A Reflection of Life
A Reflection of Life
by Mannie Arrieta | Las Cruces, NM
Not everyone who walks the Camino finishes it, but everyone has some reason.
The Camino draws more than Christians. It also beckons non-Christians and others looking for something to believe in. This strange assortment of pilgrims is what makes this journey so fascinating. Everyone on this path nurses a belief, is seeking to believe, or is still in search of something.
Of the hundreds of thousands who embark on Camino each year, only a portion reach Santiago de Compostela. It’s a daunting, give-or-take six-week course over mountain trails, through small villages and towns as though caught in a Middle Ages time warp, through vineyards and seemingly endless wheat fields, and finally, into Santiago. No person comes out whole or intact. Any pilgrim may suffer blisters, severe sunburns, twisted joints, or cuts and bruises. They may have lost weight or toenails. A few have died of a heart attack. Despite the losses, suffering or setbacks, each soul on the journey eventually finds meaning.
It took me three years to complete the Camino Francés. The first year, I walked the final 100 kilometers into Santiago with my daughter and her boyfriend. While resting in the middle of a hot day, my daughter said: “Dad, I hate the Camino. But I love it, too.” After a moment to reflect, I responded: “Yes, Mija. The Camino is just like life. It has its hills and its valleys. At times, the Camino can be breathtaking, at other times exhausting. It’s just like life Mija. You have to just put one foot in front of the other and keep moving forward, knowing that there will always be ups and downs.” I had just picked up the first of many Camino lessons I would learn over the years.
When we reached Santiago, we were depleted. Still we celebrated with fellow pilgrims gathered in the Plaza del Obradoiro. Looking at the celebrants, I noticed a few who were worse for the wear. Exhausted, dusty, calloused and scraggly, they looked like they had walked far more miles than we had. Their tired smiles, however, seemed to suggest a more profound sense of happiness and fulfillment than I felt. At that point, I knew that I needed to complete the Camino. All of them.
