Find the Helpers
Find the Helpers
by Gregory Alexander | Crystal Lake, IL
The Camino calls to a diverse sample of the world’s population. I have met people from many countries on this journey. But in one aspect there is a lack of diversity. I can best express this homogeneity with the quote that Fred Rogers’s mother offered him: “Look for the helpers. You will always find people who are helping.” If you want to immerse yourself in helpers, walk a portion of the Way.
My walking partner and former work colleague Bill and I twice dipped into our first aid kit to offer antiseptic wipes and bandages to pilgrims who had fallen and broken skin. We ran low on gauze for our blisters as we arrived at the municipal albergue in Reliegos, Spain, and the hospitalero there gave us gauze from her supply, refusing any payment.
One aspect of my journey was processing the loss of family members to car accident (wife), suicide (son), and heart attack (49-year-old son-in-law). Deep conversations with others in similar circumstances were sources of healing and comfort.
The most memorable help was on Day 1. About 3 kilometers into my descent from the peak of the Pyrénées, I reached for my phone to take a photo. [expletive deleted]. At that moment, I was pretty sure I had left it on the concrete slab at the top where we had taken a break. I told Bill to go ahead and I would go back to try to retrieve it and catch up at Roncesvalles. As I hustled back, the first pilgrims that I met said, in French, that they had not seen it. I soon encountered a Swedish couple, and Monica (I now refer to her as St. Monica) asked me “did you lose something?” as she handed me my phone. I mean, who goes the wrong way at a fast clip looking panicked on the Camino? Only careless pilgrims, she must have thought.
Buen Camino, indeed!
