As I lay in bed collecting my thoughts from yesterday and preparing for today the word ¨force¨ just will not go away.
Yesterday morning started out with leaving the Alberque on the outskirts of Estella and seeing 2 cats in what appeared to be unrequested mating……and as it goes on the road to Santiago, I observe, take note, and move on…..because so much happens.
Within 30 minutes I am at the Monastery where the Codex Calixtinus was written. Now referred to as the oldest travel book ever written describing the travels of a ¨pilgrim¨in the XII century. What an adventure to travel the same path….you can feel the history with every step.
At this monastery wine comes out of the faucet for travelers 24 hours a day. What a site to behold! Indeed I need a video and picture, so I ask my Dutch friend to take video, actually she volunteered, saying you need a video. With that the German woman who has declared her hate for life from the first day at dinner pops in. The first night at dinner, as people recount the events they have experienced, the German woman is purely hostile in energy; the second night at the monastery, which could not have been more beautiful, she tells a table of 12 guests that she hates people from Holland; imagine, hatred of an entire nation, meanwhile 3 people are from Holland. Her other countrymen at the table are embarrassed of this woman to say the least….but as many people who are filled with hate, she feels the need to be the loudest, and in her mind….mission accomplished. Anyway, she jumps in front of me to have her photo taken and then stands and drinks and drinks and drinks as if she doesn’t have to walk 20 kilometers today! I find it truly amazing that once again there are those that give to life, without wanting anything in return and those that are takers, and a taker she is. Forcing her way through life…….something rarely seen or felt here on the Road to Santiago.
I spent the next few hours thinking about the cats, the woman and force.
Within a few hours I pass a Medieval Castle where the Moors and the Arabs fought for ownership…the thought came to me that on the face of this earth, both love and hate can all exists in the same place…..whatever comes in your direction brings meaning to your life. I decide to rise to the occasion and create my day.
With Gratitude,
Dr. Evelyn Higgins
It Is Only With the Heart That ……..
I had no internet yesterday so was unable to write, but the pain along with the beauty continues.
When I arrived in the village of Viana I went to the bar, which is where everything goes on and you can find out whatever it is that you need to know. While having a cafe con leche, a woman came in and asked if I was the American from Atlanta. Yes, I said. She was also an American, from Oregon.
She asked if she could sit down and we began to talk. She was a delightful woman with so much zest for life. She asked the usual question of why are you doing the Compostela de Santiago…….I explained and asked the same of her.
Her story was that she was diagnosed with lymphoma the same day her husband had a stroke. They had both been ultra runners and found it very surprising to say the least. We talked and she took pictures and bonded even if just for a moment….you never know if and when you will see the people you meet ever again, but one thing is for sure…….the conversation is always from the heart.
As the author Antoine de Saint Exupery wrote, from the Little Prince.…..¨It is only with the heart that one can see rightly. What is essential is invisible to the eye.¨
That is how I replied to my new friend……whose name I didn´t even know……you must feel the beauty of the Compostela in your heart, it can not come from pictures………
With Gratitude,
Dr. Evelyn Higgins