It's Time: Day 38, Portuguese Camino

“There is nothing more beautiful than a person who has discovered their worth.” R.M.

Today we celebrated Sarah, from Germany who started in Faro, Portugal, surpassing 1,000km (621 miles)! Prost! 🍻

We headed out of Padron around 7ish. It was overcast and a little cool but not raining! It sprinkled for a just a few minutes later in the day but nothing like the last few days.

Since there are soooo many people now and we are passing so many new faces, it’s not realistic to strike up a conversation with everyone. So most people just say “Buen Camino,” and carry on.

I was about to pass a couple but something stopped me. I slowed down and said, “Hello,” and asked where they were from. “Porto,” they replied. They flipped the question and I said, “Originally Kansas City but most people don’t know of it, so I most recently lived in Brooklyn, NY.” They both smiled and said, “oh, we know of Kansas City very well. We’ve been there TWICE. Our son used to live and work there. He went to school at Creighton University in Omaha.”

Say what?

How in the world did I stop to chat with the one couple on the Camino who has been to Kansas City, not only once but twice? Intuition, I guess.

Paulo and Philomena said their son now lives in Lisbon but still works for the same Hedge Fund out of KC.

How about that for a small world. Wild.

I briefly met a German woman named Anna who is walking the Camino with her husband’s ashes. She will arrive in Santiago early tomorrow morning, take him to the Cathedral and then to Finesterre (the end of the world) to spread his ashes in the Atlantic Ocean. She said he died seven years ago and now, “It’s time.”

I cried a little behind my sunglasses after she left.

Anna’s story made me think about my own Camino and why I am doing it again for the fourth time. At first, I thought I was walking it because I just really enjoy the Camino. I love the rhythm and the people and the exercise. But the more I thought about it, I realized it’s time for me too. It’s time to let go of some old limiting beliefs. Which is why I was so adamant about walking alone. I think it’s time to let go of some people in my life who I don’t resonate with anymore. It’s not because of anything in particular that happened but we just don’t vibe anymore. It’s time to say goodbye.

Tomorrow I’ll be walking into Santiago for the fourth time. The difference between this one and all the others? I will have started and finished alone. Usually people group up, and I do enjoy that but this was a personal challenge for me. I typically become the caretaker, organizer or the leader of the group in one way or the other. Don’t get me wrong, it’s wonderful to have a community and I enjoy many aspects of it. But in my case, being the caretaker or the organizer is not always the most healthy behavior. Sometimes (not always) my intentions to fulfill these roles are to be liked or get approval. Which if not met, I can become resentful. This is not a good look on me or anyone. So with this Camino, I knew I needed to focus on me and only taking care of myself (unless it was an emergency situation, of course). This is not an easy task for a perpetual people pleaser. It’s a new way of being. I’m proud to say, I think I passed the initial test. And it’s definitely time.

Thank you Anna for sharing your story. It helped me evaluate my own Camino. ❤️

Our hostel is beautiful! We are in Teo at Albergue Casa Aldea da Pedreira. The grounds are so relaxing and the bedrooms are extremely clean. Plus, they have a food truck!