When We Get There, We’ll Be There.

I got him to give you a big smile!!!

We are peeling back the layers of our onions on this walk. I once heard you have to peel back the layers of an onion to see if it has a sweet heart or a rotten core.

For instance, after about five days into this journey I might have announced to Jay I’m kind of done with all the bread that is served. (Not croissants yet.) And, about the forth day I said, “I don’t need ketchup on my scrambled eggs or frites” (French fries). That’s big for a person who can make a sandwich out of almost everything and a ketchup-holic. Those are pretty superficial layers of this onion, however you have to peel those back to get to the thicker (real) stuff.

The next layer for me is somewhat of a complaint, if you will. Please let me begin by saying I don’t think this of all cyclists, however when did it become the pedestrian and/or runners place to yield or pull over into the shrubs so a bicycle can go by? When did the Camino become the cycling pilgrimage? I don’t know the answer to that one. The law in most states say a bicycle is considered a vehicle and a walker/runner has the right of way. Many times lately, not only on the Camino but in the rest of the world, the cyclist has appeared entitled and walkers/runners should just get into the shrubs, if needed, in order for the cyclists to pass at whatever speed they choose. What if a walker/runner stepped into the shrubs and stepped on something that just shedded THIS!

That is not a layer of onion! Yes, that is a snake skin on the side of the road. I was thinking, wow, Spain doesn’t have any snakes. I like that. By the way, I probably will never loose the onion layer that doesn’t like snakes.

Anyway, if cycling is your sport, may you not be one of those who feel entitled to whatever space there is. Sometimes it might be the polite thing to get off your bike and walk it if on a small path that includes you, walkers, and runners.

Okay, there’s a layer for sure. Whew!!! Thanks for getting through this with me. Let’s just put this at the foot of the cross for a bit.

Side note – Wow, as I look at that picture I’m kind of color coordinated this day, even my sticks.

2 Corinthians 3:18, “We all, with unveiled faces, contemplate the Lord’s glory, are being transformed into his image with ever-increasing glory, which come from the Lord, which is the Spirit.”

Jay’s layers – He said,”Do I HAVE to change on this walk”? Then he said,”we’ll see”.

One observation I can see for Jay, he has quit looking at his phone to see how far we’ve walked. Our title this week is a phrase he said as we were walking one day when I asked how much further do you think we have today? I think that’s his first layer. Also, if we watch signs, it feels as if we’re not getting anywhere. So why bother, “when we get there, we’ll be there.”

This sign was in Estella as we were leaving.

The next day, as we were leaving Los Arcos, this was the sign.

Wait! We think, and our feet feel as though we walked approximately 24 kilometers for the one kilometer that it’s showing. One small observation as we walk is each piece of information we have is close but not exact on the mileage. So, “when we get there, we’ll be there” is our phrase each day.

What layers are you looking to peel away? I could end with this, however we have so much too share. So, I’m switching gear forward a bit.

As of today we have walked approximately 270 kilometers. It’s still a math question, how many miles have we walked?

When we arrived in Akerreta, which is a hamlet with a hotel and a few buildings that have been vacant for many years, our innkeeper, Joxemari, was such a kind man. His wife is from Southern California with family still there. His inn laid vacant for 100 years. He bought it in 2010 and it took him four years to completely renovate. It is beautiful!

Their neighbors were the most precious couple I’ve ever seen. We never more wanted to be able to speak and understand Spanish more than that moment when we met them. They were an older couple just tending to their chores. He was splitting logs to store for the coming winter and she just came out to talk. And that’s just what they did. It didn’t matter that we couldn’t understand, they just wanted to talk and have someone laugh with them. We could do that much, laugh with them. Oh, I just wanted to go sit with her for the rest of the evening. Look at that precious face.

I’ll end with a poem by Hannah Brencher, “We all have a bag. We all pack differently. Some of us are traveling light. Some of us are secret horders, who’ve never parted with a memory in our lives. I think we are called to figure out how to carry our bag to the best of our ability, how to unpack it, and how to face the mess. I think a part of growing up is learning how to sit down on the floor with all your things and figuring out what to take with you and what to leave behind.”

Forget the destination, enjoy the journey. Blessings and Buen Camino.