Be a goldfish

Last night was a long one.  I stayed at a lovely albergue that had terrible sleeping conditions.

Whereas the living/dining area was roomy and well appointed, the sleeping area was crowded, noisy and stuffy.  Someone had figured out that by adding more and more beds, they could maximize their profits.  My bed was in the hall across from the bathroom.  Need I say more?! 

Anyway, when the first person left at 6:00am, I did too.  The offer of a free breakfast was not enough to keep me waiting any longer.  Anyway, I love the mornings here.  Stepping outside you get the fresh air, (something dearly lacking during the night,) and you get the dawn chorus of the collective twitterings, tweetings and chirps.  If you haven’t experienced it, wake up early tomorrow morning and go for a walk.  There is no better way to start the day.  Ok, maybe the birds in Hawaii.








Leaving Astorga, there is a small pilgrim’s chapel.  It is a nice place to stop and recommit your day.  Again, I like the “I Choose” devotion for mornings, especially when I was grumpy the night before.  The quote that came to mind is from the TV show Ted Lasso:  “Be a goldfish”.  The idea is that goldfish have very short memories.  I won’t remember the details of a long night after The Way, so why focus on it now.  Time to be a goldfish…









As I walked along, I met a young Korean boy.  He had just graduated from university and wanted to walk the Camino to reset his life.  He has lots of regrets and has made bad decisions, including getting his degree in accounting.  (Sorry, Cindy.)  


After we talked for a while, he asked if I had any regrets and, if so, what did I do to get beyond them.  I suggested that he be a goldfish.  We talked about an hour and then he stopped for a smoke.  Later he passed me having a coffee break and I simply said, “Be a goldfish!”, and he gave me a big smile. 



Tonight’s entertainment is the local monks doing their chants at 7:00pm.  Seems like a good thing to check out. 


Side note:  No amazing views today.  Maybe tomorrow…

 

27,590 steps

  13.52 miles 

 

Location:  Rabanal del Camino @ 42.480896, -6.284789



Comments

  1. AnonymousJune 9, 2023 at 10:24 AM

    Tim. I stayed with the chanting monks in Rababal for two days for a silent retreat. There were three monks that were there then, from France, Germany and Asia. A great experience. Buen Camino. Al

    ReplyDelete
  2. AnonymousJune 10, 2023 at 8:27 AM

    Let’s see if I can finally get this blog to not be a goldfish.

    ReplyDelete
  3. AnonymousJune 10, 2023 at 8:31 AM

    Oh hey, it worked!
    Kent here, having finally done something to make anonymous posts work. Been following your adventures and appreciating the photos & reflections, just not able to connect. Blessings on your final weeks of the walk!

    ReplyDelete

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

It is finished!

Image
Well, at least I finished my first Camino! The rain came and went a bit this morning... ...but it was dry for my final meander into the city!   What a thrill it was to finally enter the plaza and see the goal in front of me - and to be welcomed by several other Camino family members!   More later after some rest, a few toasts and a little processing... Thanks again for coming along.  I hope to connect soon!   Please consider taking a walk together.    1,057,369 total steps      516.94 total miles  33 days of continuous walking Location:   Santiago de Compostela, Spain @ 42.881241, -8.547019
Read more

Re-entry

Image
Today was the last long day, or at least that’s what the book says.  I left early again to enjoy the sounds of nature and savor the quiet before the day-pilgrims start.  It was a very pleasant morning of reflection.  This has been an amazing experience, full of both rewards and challenges. The infrastructure continues to improve as this portion has significantly more pilgrims.   I took the opportunity to ease myself off simple pilgrim meals and back to more modern items, like avocado and salmon toast.  (OK, maybe pilgrims of long ago had special toast too.)  The groups are getting larger and more organized.  Lots of young people are enjoying The Way and that makes me smile.  I also love all the families walking together.  This has become a very diverse, yet integrated group of all ages and nationalities.  I met one youth group from a church in Mississippi and think they were 20+ in number. ...
Read more