After walking almost 500 miles and within ¨spitting distance¨ of my destination, many of the people I have come across have feet covered in blisters and everyone has calluses. It has been a fascinating road, a long road which has required persistence. It has been a road filled with growth on every level: the physical, emotional, intellectual as well as the spiritual.
Many people that I began my trek with are no longer walking for various reasons, most being from injury of some type or just giving up. The road is hard, just as life is at times. We all develop calluses at one point or another. We all become hardened to life. Just as the weary pilgrim has calluses on the feet by now, many have calluses on the heart after a long trek through life.
No doubt, the challenges of life can sometimes become so painful that we form calluses to protect ourselves. If we harden our heart we can no longer feel the pain, the area becomes numb.
The humility of being a pilgrim on this road brings life to its simplest form. The road invites you to begin life again, lifting the traveler from the numbing familiarity of everyday life by creating new circumstances each and every day that must be faced. On the road, every day has a new beginning, yesterday is the past and in order to adapt and continue on you must start with a new slate in order to reach the goal.
Whether from physical or emotional pain, the scarring and calluses are the same. Eventually the hurt creates the callus that stops us from feeling. Feeling is an emotion of life that separates living from existing. Live the gift of life……..
With Gratitude,
Dr. Evelyn Higgins
Santiago
Arriving in Santiago was nothing short of amazing! For over 1200 years throughout history, thousands of pilgrims have made the same trip, and now I know why. The feelings of humility, pride, accomplishment and gratefulness all came together.
In the square, where the huge cathedral sits, an American flag was waving out of respect for my accomplishment. At the mass, the priest announced the pilgrim woman from the United States who began in St. Jean Pied De Port in France and made safe passage. Admitedly, I had a lump in my throat and my eyes watered from humility.
The trek was an incredible gift which I will never forget. I had learned from others in the past, but this journey made it very evident that my soul had to feel the experiences; I had to own them and really feel them deep down to understand their meaning, in short, they had to be mine. You can be inspired by others, but that is not intrinsically you. Just as mentors can’t give you the answers; they can provide guidance, however, in the end it is only you and the strength of your inner self which provides the answers to your questions. They are there waiting for you.
The road to Santiago is just as life itself. It has no end; when you arrive you realize you have to keep going and walking towards your inner self, others and God.
There is a magical energy which exists on the trail. Whether it be a directional cross road of confusion where a window shutter flies open with a 90 year old woman pointing in the direction for you to follow or the other pilgrims you meet along the way sharing their most intimate stories or simply the beauty of nature; there is one thing I am certain of, the mystery will live on forever because of the incredible energy which exists along its dust and this is why people will continue to walk it for thousands of years to follow.
It will take time to really ingest all that went on physically, emotionally, intellectually as well as spiritually and will really only be finished when life as I know it today comes to an end.
With Gratitude,
Dr. Evelyn Higgins