A journey of a thousand miles...
... started with a single step about 7 years ago when the Camino
became part of my bucket list. From all
the things that I still dream of, the Camino’s fire burnt the highest through the
years.
The Camino, the way, is a network of ancient
pilgrimage paths through the Spanish, Portuguese and continental European
countryside, which ends at the cathedral in Santiago de Compostela, supposedly
the burial site of the apostle St. James the Greater, who was martyred around
44 AD. The route has been walked for
centuries by thousands of pilgrims. The
first pilgrims were recorded around 950 AD. (source: www.csjofsa.za.org).
Having decided
on the Camino Francés route, starting at St. Jean Pied-de-Port in France to
Santiago de Compostela and then from there on to Finisterre, the end of the world, this is a journey
of a thousand kilometres. The most
precious commodity in today’s world is what I need most. I have the good fortune of working for a fair
and reasonable manager despite his failed attempts at multi-tasking and
somewhat being on his own planet, who has afforded me the time to follow this
dream. For this, I will put up with most
of his nonsense.
As mid-September
rapidly approaches my to-do-list needs some serious ticking off and all I can
really lay claim on is a good pair of hiking boots, already walked in; a back
pack, a sleeping back; a jacket; my Pilgrim’s Passport; and a walking stick. Overwhelmed is an understatement.
Lao-tzu literally said 'A journey of a thousand leagues begins beneath one's feet' and whether the measurement is a league, a mile or a kilometre, a thousand is still a faraway place to reach. My walking stick is a
beautiful shepherd’s crook, a gift from my husband and his way of blessing this
journey of mine. I had a section
decorated with beads in true African style, to be a constant reminder of the
soil of Africa where my loved ones are, and the single place on this whole
earth that I always long for. It will
take me along the mountains and valleys of the Pyrenees, the flat plains of the
Maseta Central of Castille y Leon and up to Finisterre in Galicia. Here, in the waters of the Atlantic, I will
cast an African shell and give thanks to the One who guides me.
The first step has been taken and I look forward to the many more that lie ahead for 'through walking I find joy - through walking I find peace - every step a new discovery. My heart is filled with gratitude' (Susanne Schubert).
Bueno Camino!
Jovita
29 August 2013
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