Something for the Weekend

Why not celebrate the end of my first week into the Camino by walking my longest leg of 30km under the hot Spanish sun and waking up at my earliest time at 0430? The day seemed like it would be difficult so I linked up with a group from the start in case I ended up needing some pilgrim encouragement. Oddly enough, the next day asks for only 20 or 21km and I consider doing more to put myself on a fast track schedule. Technically, the faster I am, the more money I save, right? Not sure if my body will agree...or if that's truly the point or a priority of mine for the Camino.

After the walking part of the day is over I decide that doing 30km in 40 degrees Celsius might be the limit. The only pilgrim hostel to stay in has so many bunk beds crammed together in one giant dormitory room that I feel like we should inflate a beach ball and bounce it around like they do with massive crowds in outdoor concerts. I'm not a fan of the tan lines I received from the shadeless walk, and getting sunburned would be miserable so I decide to wear sleeves for the next day even if it'll make me warmer.

Today I thought, "If I'm walking 20+ km each day, does that mean I should be running 10km daily back at home?"

It never seems to work out that way though, does it? Not when you mix in work or social events or everything else that you have in your daily life that you don't have on the Camino. Though I'm sure a renewed sense of time is something that people take back with them when they return home, even if it's just for a little while.

With my mornings here, waking around 5 or 5:30am makes me happy (even though I don't admit it till about 7am), and waking up after 7am makes me think I've completely wasted my morning. Oh and relaxing into bed around 9pm is a joy so I can just write or listen to music or read until I fall asleep. I'm not sure how old any of that makes me sound, but most people I come across who guess my age think I'm five to seven years younger than I actually am.  Let's just hope that comes in handy later on ;)

I think with being here, time becomes a funny thing. We start each day with some kind of schedule in our minds and I feel pretty accomplished  after walking, resting, eating, showering, laundry, writing and exploring. Although, it's the timeless moments of meeting someone worthwhile or seeing something amazing, or reaching some new revelation about your life that you didn't know you longed for, that are the moments you just can't plan for.