·
Tuesday, 30 June 2009
Lessons of the Camino Still
Unfolding
The
lessons of the Camino are still unfolding.
It is a slow process. It is like
watching a flower unfurl in the morning sun.
I
wonder if I will ever put my thoughts on these lessons on paper. As I walk the dog, inspirations fly through my
mind, but they evaporate like mist when I attempt to transcribe them.
1.)
Seeing
things (and people) with new eyes
2.) Understanding “Give us this day our daily
bread” (or our daily bed)…emphasis on daily – faith, trust…
3.) Service before self (stole this from the
USAF core values!)…”Thy will be done”
4.) Character building experiences are
opportunities to see things spiritually
I am Exhilarated Today
I
awoke to a bedroom washed in morning light and the pristine blue
Over
morning coffee with the sounds of NPR’s Morning Edition providing comfortable
background commentary, I made a list of tasks and dreams and ideas. The yellow-papered spiral notebooks that I
use to capture my attempts at orchestrating life would look confusing to anyone
but me. I always open them rather
randomly and let my pencil (always a pencil) take charge. I like the feel and look of my lists filling
the tiny squares (I use graph-paper).
Today
I feel much like I do in the autumn, when the season changes. In the film “Chocolat” the protagonist senses
the changes in the wind and a kind of energy urges her to move on. This is
similar to my own feelings. Usually in
September I feel an indescribable call, an urge, an energy that is
positive. I feel it now. I am counting my blessings as I consider all
the items on my random list that spills onto two pages. I feel a sense of joy at the opportunity to
pursue all these ideas. I do not feel
the pressure of having to accomplish them.
Somehow, I know the work will be done, and there will be progress. This paper does not represent a check list or
a to-do list. Somehow it is an account
of all the joy and meaning in my life.
It represents an accounting of my values and my pleasures as well as my
priorities.
This
weekend was pleasant; an easy, if somewhat uneventful, pleasure of letting life
unfold. The balance of togetherness and
accomplishment and relaxation was just right.
No recipe for it; like most really inspired cooking, the experienced
cook uses what is on hand or in season and enhances it. We planned for our trip to the Black Hills
(50th anniversary surprise and projects for Mom and Dad V.), we did
some happy errands in the company of our dog, we took a short road trip to Los
Alamos, we looked at new cars, we watched “Chocolat” and “Big Fish” while
preparing 2,000 Habitat for Humanity newsletters, we ate and relaxed and
enjoyed life.
The
day stretches out like the path to
A Little Facebook Game
Someone
sent a request – post the names of the first 15 books that come to mind when
asked what books will always be with you.
I like the idea of not editing and simply making the list that comes to
mind today.
It
interests me that many people seem to be incapable of simply choosing 15 titles
– it is as if this is a huge commitment.
It is that tiny word ALWAYS.
There is really only NOW.
And
that is my lesson for the day. Be happy
NOW. That is really all there is.
15 Books That Will Always Be
With Me (Today Anyway!)
1.
Science
and Health, with Keys to the Scriptures (Mary Baker Eddy)
2.
Roget’s
Thesaurus
3.
Joy of
Man’s Desiring (Jean Giono) & others by Giono
4.
The
Prophet (Kahlil Gibran)
5.
East
of Eden (John Steinbeck) &/or others by Steinbeck
6.
Giants
in the Earth (O. E. Rolvaag)
7.
100
Years of Solitude (Gabriel Garcia Marquez)
8.
Anna
Karenina (L. Tolstoy) &/or War and Peace (L. Tolstoy)
9. The Little
Prince (Antoine de
Saint Exupéry)
10. A Prayer for Owen Meaney (John Irving)
&/or Cider House Rules (John Irving)
11.
Accidental
Tourist (Anne Tyler) &/or others by
12.
13. Narnia Series (C.S. Lewis)
14. Little House on the Prairie Series (Laura
Ingalls Wilder)
15. The Big Fish (Daniel
Wallace)
16. Chocolat (Joanne Harris)
·
Friday, 12 June 2009
Pooped Pooch
Zia
and I trekked out to our old familiar walking grounds this morning. It was about 67 degrees under a bright sky
here in sunny Santa Fe. I have not been
inclined to walk since I returned home.
In fact I have stayed close to home, simply indulging in some of my
favorite things. I seemed to need a
little pampering, despite the need to begin moving forward on professional and
personal projects that have been on hold due to my indulgent pilgrimage across
Spain. But the walk today was pleasant.
I
was rather surprised when about half-way through the walk, Miss Zia plunked
herself down under the shade of a small tree and stretched out, tongue hanging
and panting. It was not really hot, but
Zia seemed ready for a break. I decided
to curtail the walk. Perhaps she is
simply out of shape after 6 or so weeks of no regular walks. In any case we headed home.
Upon
entering the lovely oasis behind the house, Miss Zia made a beeline to the
upper waterfall. She splashed into the
pool and laid down in the cool, flowing water.
She gulped down water as she relaxed there for a good 5 minutes. (This is NOT usual behavior.) I stood watching until she came to the door
and asked to come in.
I
guess I wore her out.
So
now here I sit at the keyboard with a wet, loving dog happily snuggled against at
my feet. Oh the “perfume” a wet dog
generates!
·
Tuesday, 9 June 2009
I am
wearing the same clothes I wore (almost) EVERYDAY while I walked the
Camino. I didn’t think I would ever put
them on again! Many pilgrims finish
their Camino at Finisterre, which translates as “the end of the earth”. They stand on a bluff overlooking the
Atlantic Ocean off Spain’s coast and make a ritual of burning their walking
clothes. The symbolism is lovely, but I
chose not to participate in that activity.
So
what is the occasion that finds me in my worn and torn walking garb again?
Why
walking, of course! The first real
dog-walk since my return to the USA.
For
all practical purposes, Miss Zia has not been on a leash since late April. When she saw me pulling on my walking clothes
she began an enthusiastic doggie-dance and voiced her excitement in with a
yodeling sound that is unique to my little sweetie-dog.
Miss
Zia has never been really good on a leash.
She thinks she is the lead-dog in a sled team. She likes to be at the end of the leash
pulling and prancing. I can usually deal
with this rather exuberant behavior, but it is the initial and final parts of
the walking that present the real challenge.
Walking down to the street and up to the corner, she in almost
unmanageable. She quivers and
pulls. I can barely restrain her. I shorten the leash for better control, but
then I step on her toes and she yelps as we walk along. It is not a pretty sight, nor does it
encourage anyone to volunteer to walk the dear dog. She seems to be reacting to the dogs who live
in adjacent properties. Once we get down
the road a bit, she relaxes and is somewhat more manageable.
This
behavior has been consistent. But after
6 weeks of not walking on a leash, the behavior has exacerbated. It is not a pleasure; it is like roping a
calf.
I have
a project ahead. I need to find a way to
coach and motivate my usually well-mannered sweetie-dog so she can enjoy life
on a leash. And so I can enjoy being at
the other end of the leash.
With
the walk behind me (a rather abbreviated walk) I can move on and begin to
resume my pre-Camino routine. Or at
least try to.
Work
projects are already piling up. For a
woman with no clearly-defined job this seems odd. There is a workshop to prepare (delivery is
next week) and there is a meeting regarding a couple proposals. I need to shift gears and begin thinking
about these things, and others (the in-laws 50th anniversary
party/Black Hills trip preparations in early July). I would prefer to have time to assimilate and
process my Camino experiences.
I am trying transcribe my journal notes for
each day of the trip from paper to my online blog. This is going slowly. I wish I could indulge in that activity for
about a week with no interruption. What
a luxury that would be. Of course some
may ask, isn’t it enough that you spent 6-weeks away from the usual demands of
life and still you want more time? Well,
yes, the answer is yes.
Here’s
a Camino inspired thought: is it the
spaces and the time alone that is a catalyst for our actions and choices. I am wrestling to refine this idea so I was
delighted when I received the poem below in my e-mail today. The fires of passion, joy, motivation, etc.
all require space and air.
Fire
What makes a fire burn
is space between the logs,
a breathing space.
Too much of a good thing,
too many logs
packed in too tight
can douse the flames
almost as surely
as a pail of water would.
So
building fires
requires attention
to the spaces in between,
as much as to the wood.
When
we are able to build
open spaces
in the same way
we have learned
to pile on the logs,
then we can come to see how
it is fuel, and absence of the fuel
together, that make fire possible.
We
only need to lay a log
lightly from time to time.
A fire
grows
simply because the space is there,
with openings
in which the flame
that knows just how it wants to burn
can find its way.
~
Judy Brown ~
FYI:
On the dog-walk today, I saw a really long discarded snakeskin by the roadside
today. I hate to think where the owner
may be! I hope I see him/her first!
________________________________________
.
ab
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ENTRIES,
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ARCHIVES ON THE LEFT
Our
Peace Corps (Ukraine) adventures:
January
2005 - May 2007
Our
AmeriCorps*VISTA (Santa Fe, NM)
adventures:
August
2007 – November 2008
My
Santiago de Compostela Camino (Spain)
adventures:
20
April -1 June 2009
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J. Pulver
Life
is good!
ab