Curve Balls

Here I am, walking in the rain, a little bit sick. First curve ball.

Jason and I have been fighting colds. It seems to be going around the albergues. We actually took a couple of days to rest (unrelated to the health issue) and sight-see in the lovely pueblo of Santillana Del Mar. Jason mostly beat his cold during that time. I still have a nagging post-nasal thing, a slight sore throat and a cough. None of it is that bothersome, but the the cough is a problem at night when sleeping with a bunch of other people in one room. Last night I felt self-conscious because of all the noise I was making and sucked on cough drops for much of the night. This evening, Jason and I decided to stay in a pension (like a bed and breakfast, but in our case, not fancy) so I wouldn’t disturb more people than just Jason.

Another curve ball is the rainy weather. Last evening we did laundry (which we do faithfully everyday, or else we run out of clothes to wear), but nothing dried. It was partly our fault (our poor decision making?) We arrived at the albergue late and didn’t get our laundry hanging up until around 6PM, and it was overcast. Nothing we washed really dried. We packed it up this morning still wet. Cloth is heavier when it is wet, so this isn’t so fun when you’re carrying all your belongings on your back. On top of that, it rained for most of the morning. Frankly, it was a light rain, not a big deal…not like the deluge others have told us about that took place a few days before we began the Camino.

So, we’re not complaining too much, but the curve balls that come on the Camino are difficult to plan for. They can happen without warning and in the case of rainy, wet days…too many of them in a row can hugely impact your level of comfort and productivity. We know that various Camino walkers have worn wet clothes for multiple days in a row. This, we still haven’t had to do.

We have also noticed the special bond that takes place between members of the Camino community when we all have to endure bad weather or some other hardship. These “hardships” (I put the word hardship in quotes because all of us on the Camino are choosing this path…no one is forcing it on us!) help to create a sense of mission and friendship. More sharing and caring takes place. We look after each other. We laugh, tell stories and joke more. The veil falls away poco a poco (little by little).

Tonight, Jason and I walked into town to visit our albergue friends. We wanted to see how they were doing and tell them why we were choosing against the group sleeping situation.

Our fellow pilgrims were understanding and yet happy to see us. We visited for a while as they prepared to go to dinner. We discussed the most important topics for pilgrims:

1. the volume of snoring from the night before

2. the rundown of the day’s aches and pains.

Our friends, just like us, have hung their wet clothes out hoping for enough dry air to do its magic overnight. Nevermind that we hear thunder in the distance. For tonight we are warm, with full bellies. We have showered and look forward to a night of sleep (without aches? Maybe not.)

Tomorrow will bring another series of curve balls, but so far, nothing has stopped us from the simple act of walking.