For those of you who are thinking it would be so much fun to walk the Camino de Santiago, just so you know, there was nothing fun about today! I say that with a smile on my face, but also with total seriousness. It was brutal! It began during the night as I came to the realization that I had a fever. I thought, “Man, what poor timing!” I lay there there in bed trying to figure out what to do. Now, I know what my wife would say. She would say, “Joe, take a zero day. You’ve been on the trail two weeks now without a rest day, and it’s time!” Well, that sounds like great advice. But for several reasons it’s not as simple as that. One is that the hostels have signs plastered all around: “Pilgrims must check out by 8:00 AM!” The hostels have to reboot and get ready for the next group of pilgrims who come in that afternoon. So it’s reasonable - we need to get out of there. I might be able to get a medical exemption, but who wants a guy with fever hanging around anyway? So more than likely, my rest day would be hanging out on the street, with no place to really rest. The other factor complicating this is that I have three nights of lodging reserved ahead of me. As difficult as it is to find lodging, three nights of knowing I have a bed is quite an accomplishment. I have figured out that if I can reserve 3 to 4 nights ahead, I’m more likely to find a place to sleep. So if I take a rest day and spend the night here and cancel all those reservations, I will be in a pickle and may not be able to find an empty bed. So it is not as simple as it sounds.
I lay there debating what to do, but really I knew there was no alternative than to proceed as planned. So I rolled out of bed and went through my pre-walk routine. Contributing to my day not being fun was the weather. The wind was supposed to be blowing really hard, and it was to be a cold wind. As I stepped out into the streets, I verified that. Half a block from my hostel, I stopped and pulled out my last remaining layer and put it on. The wind just bit and almost hurt! But I could deal with the wind - what was really concerning me was the forecast of rain! That had been the talk among the pilgrims - the rain was supposed to hit at 8:00 AM. But I thought, “You know, if I get an early start and maybe they miss the rain forecast by a couple of hours, I might make it to the village where I have my bed reserved without getting soaked.” Yeah right! I think the weather forecasters in Spain are better than they are in the States. At 8:07, it began to rain - and it rained and rained! It was a cold, driving rain. Even though I had my rain gear on, the wind somehow caused the rain to find its way through and around my rain gear and completely soak me. I now understand the saying of being soaked to the bone! Nothing about this day was fun!
But you don’t need to feel sorry for me - I don’t feel sorry for myself. Something incredible happened! With my body not feeling great, with the bitter wind blowing and gusting in my face and the cold rain soaking me almost to the point of feeling numb, God did something wild and crazy. He sent me joy! Seriously! It was unexpected! But I had so much joy, I couldn’t believe it. Maybe it was that I was still living under the blessing of that sweet saintly nun yesterday - I really don’t know. But during this day that was not fun, I don’t know when I have encountered so much joy - it was unreal! That prayer and blessing that that nun prayed over me was answered! She had prayed for peace - despite the circumstances, I had peace. She had prayed for protection - the trails were slick and muddy and treacherous, but I was protected from any fall. And she prayed for strength, and I certainly had that as I arrived in good time with plenty energy to spare. It was a good day!
That is the way life is. Many days, we wake up with a fever - maybe not literally, but we wake up and don’t feel great about things in our lives. Then at times that bad day is made worse by a cold wind that blows and bites us. When it seems it can’t get any worse, the driving rain comes and soaks us to the bone. Those are not fun days! But even though those days may not be fun, they can still be good days. As long as we have peace and protection and strength - that’s a good day! And the cherry on top of it is when God gives us joy!
So, if you would ask me, “Was today a fun day?” My answer would be, “No, a thousand times no!” But if you would ask me, “Joe, was today a good day?” My answer would be “Yes, absolutely yes - it was an amazing day.” I had peace, I had protection, I had strength, and God decided to make it extra special by giving me joy!
Buen camino!
Leaving on my adventure
Ruins of a 14th-century convent
Home for tonight - a welcome sight for a soaked pilgrim.
My bedroom for tonight. Living in luxury— no bunk beds!
Drying my only pair of shoes
Approximate total miles: 560
Approximate miles walked today: 12
Approximate miles remaining: 354