The Laundromat Lady
The Laundromat Lady
by Blaine Rada | Plainfield, IL
On my second Camino, I walked the Via de la Plata, starting in Seville. I chose the Via because I wanted to walk a different route than my first Camino, which was on the Francés six years earlier. I wanted fewer crowds and was looking forward to an inner journey, even though many of my fondest memories on the Francés were the connections I made with pilgrims and locals along the way.
I started walking immediately upon my arrival in Seville. I had been awake for 25 hours between my flight to Madrid and the train to Seville, and I still had 16 miles of walking to complete my first leg to Guillena. Given my afternoon start, I saw no other pilgrims to help with navigation, and I made several mistakes finding my way out of Seville.
I had developed a bad cold prior to leaving for Spain, and I didn’t want to spread my germs in an albergue, so I stayed at a hotel my first night, and was the only one there. The second day was the same; no pilgrims and no one else at the hostel. Day three, more of the same. In fact, I didn’t come across another pilgrim until the ninth day!
The phrase, “be careful what you ask for,” came to mind, and the isolation I experienced affected me in ways I never expected. I even had difficulty communicating with the locals, who often seemed frustrated with my poor Spanish language skills. I felt invisible and yearned for meaningful human connection.
When I developed a lower leg injury, I wasn’t sure how much more I could take, and then I came across a woman at the laundromat in Villafranco de los Barros that changed everything for me. Even though we had difficulty communicating, she engaged with me. She helped me figure out how to use the machines and she cleaned up the mess I made when I spilled my energy drink all over the floor. She even insisted that I have some of the chocolate she offered me. Her kindness was almost more than I could bear! She gave new life to me and my Camino.
More importantly, her example showed me a formula for making genuine connections: Help others. Clean up their messes. Give them chocolate. I never got her name, but I will never forget The Laundromat Lady.
