Pain is Temporary Day 9

 So they say that pain is temporary and I believe that for the most part that is true. I’ve definitely found it to be true on the Camino.  Each morning I begin my walk wondering which body part will be the first to say hello. Today it was my right shin that introduced itself to me just to remind me that he was here. Later my left knee said, “Hello, don’t forget about me.” My right hip made sure to hurt just enough to get noticed and on every incline and decline my blisters asked for a little attention. But as I said the pain is temporary because rarely does everything hurt at the same time. 

Thus far we have walked 218 kilometers/135.4 miles with 42 kilometers/26 miles to go. Tomorrow we will do 25k with the remaining 17k on Saturday when we will arrive at Santiago de Compostela, the destination of our journey. I saw a road sign today that said Santiago de Compostela 40k and I guess if we stayed on the road it would be a little shorter. But being on the pilgrim’s route is so much nicer. 

Different parts of the route have different surfaces. Cobblestone is the hardest for me to walk on and dirt trails the easiest. Sometimes the surface makes the journey a little harder, much the same as in life. So I prayer for a little smoother path and eventually it comes. I pray for a bit of shade and I find myself walking under the grape vines. They say the Camino provides and that is true as well. Our albergue today has a pool and a beautiful garden spot-the perfect place for a night’s respite. 

Tomorrow we have a bit of a climb at the start of the day-about 500 feet as we journey the 25 kilometers from Caldes de Reis to a Escravitude. 

My friend Linda asked me to put a worry rock out for her intention. I should have done this earlier but if you have a prayer intention please let me know and I will leave a rock on a marker for your intention.