Life Lessons From the Camino That I Hope to Never Forget

What is the Camino? It is a pilgrimage that leads to the Cathedral of Santiago de Compostela where the body of St. James, one of the original apostles of Jesus Christ, is believed to be buried.

I undertook this journey as a pilgrim, which means I stepped outside of my comfort zone. I could see life a little differently. I walked twelve to twenty-three miles a day, carried everything for the trip in a backpack, and went without some of the normal creature comforts while sleeping in albergues, Spanish for hostel.  

 As a pilgrim, there is plenty of time to walk alone. We also have the opportunity to meet and talk to people from all over the world on our walk.

 There is a saying that the Camino will teach you what you need to know, whether you want to learn it or not. I would like to share two of my lessons. (I learned more, but I am only going to share two.)

A woman I had been talking to asked me if I was stopping at a church to get my pilgrim passport stamped. I went in and saw a basket of money on the desk where the passports were being stamped. I walked back out and told the woman that the basket turned me off, so I didn’t get the stamp. She told me they only collected money one month out of the year. I decided not to be so harsh. I went back in, left money in the collection basket, had my passport stamped, and then I sat down in one of the pews. The church was small, intimate, and probably a few hundred years old. I could feel the hundreds of years of prayer, faith, and love in the walls of that church.

 Suddenly, clear as a bell, a voice told me I need to talk to Jesus more. This surprised me. I consider myself a person of faith. I attend mass four to five days a week, and I pray during the day. But at that moment I realized I do not talk to Jesus as a friend. I prayed, “please Jesus help my leg to get better,” when I was concerned about a few aches and pains. But I had not shared my concerns, my fears about whether I would be able to complete my journey. I need to take everything to Jesus. Not just in a rote type of prayer, but in a conversational way, to be real. I also need to listen so I can hear the answer.

 The second lesson I learned I am not so proud of. I realized people bother me more than what I like to admit. I was in the common area at one albergue, trying to journal, but someone was playing a video in a foreign language quite loudly. It was difficult for me to focus on my writing. I was hoping he would leave once he was done eating. He did not, he stayed; much to my disappointment. A little bit later, my daughter and her friends came by with dinner, including a few bottles of wine. They did not have a wine bottle opener, so they asked the guy playing the videos if they could borrow his. He smiled really nicely and said yes. It was a good thing he had stayed after dinner! Otherwise, we would not have been able to open our bottles of wine. Seeing the good play out in everything and everyone seemed to be a common thread for the Camino.

 As a mediator, I think this is an important lesson for all of us to remember. The spouse that we want to leave, or the co-worker that is driving us nuts; there is good in them. Sometimes, if we change how we look at something/someone, what we look at changes. Then we are no longer bothered. Other times, we have to resolve our conflict. If we see the other person as a child of God, we are more likely to resolve the conflict in a less adversarial way, such as mediation. If we see the other person as an enemy and overlook the good in the person, then we are more likely to justify attacks and ruthless behavior.

 I know the more I remember talk to Jesus throughout the day and find the good in others, the better my life is. I am more at peace, have more constructive relationships, and I am a happier person.