It’s been 60 days since I walked into Santiago, soggy and weary but triumphant. In the past few weeks I’ve been trying to sum up my Camino experience for friends I’ve seen during my holiday stay in the U.S. and “rose-colored hindsight” is smoothing the rough edges of my memories, fading the trauma and accentuating the positives.
My foot blisters have all healed and my metatarsal stress fractures are almost healed, so it’s easy to gloss over the pain and physical challenges of my Camino. Looking back through the photos I took, I see the beauty of the Spanish countryside again and am glad that I did not take it for granted at the time, that I often stopped to take it all in. I also see many of the wonderful people I connected with, and am reminded of the camaraderie we shared.
Lots of little details of my journey have faded a bit, and seeing the photos and reminiscing have brought them back, thank goodness.
I’ve caught myself thinking of doing it again, the Camino Frances route again or maybe the shorter Camino Portuguese route, and using what I know now to make it easier/slower/better. My inner voice tells me this is not likely for several reasons, but that I’m flirting with the notion at all is a sign of the lasting, positive effect my walk had on me.
The Occasionally-Examined Life 