Blessings

CAMINO STAGE 16: Colombres to Llanes Camino Del Norte Route of El Camino De Santiago. 18 miles, Day 17, 20 days to go

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I inherited debilitating migraines, and the lovely clusters have a track record of ganging up on me, and throwing off my equilibrium when I need stability. Rain and the barometer falling are known to stir these up, but I have been blessed during the tumultuous storms of coastal northern Spain, that blow in almost every evening, for my migraines to stay below the surface. On the edge of a very windy cliff today, I thanked heaven above for my balance and equilibrium.

“For Equilibrium, a Blessing:
Like the joy of the sea coming home to shore,
May the relief of laughter rinse through your soul. As the wind loves to call things to dance,
May your gravity by lightened by grace.” John O’Donahue

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Today has been my favorite Camino day yet. Each stage has been very beautiful (San Sebastian in the Basque lands, and the Zarautz beach climb to Deba a highlight), but the rugged mountains and coastline of Austria has captivated me. The wind was whistling through the limestone cracks and sounded like a cheerful flutist dancing and accompanying us on our climb. Bufones or blowholes with surging ocean water spraying up in the air cooled and entertained us. Horses and donkeys nodded their heads as if in greeting. There were even caves to explore had we had the time. (Good excuse to come back). We met another American named Dwayne from Chicago who we walked with for a while who also started in Irún but we had never crossed paths. It all amounted to a day full of blessings and laughter rinsing our souls —a day worth remembering.

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“Walk your walk. Embrace your blessings. Make today worth remembering.” Steve Maraboli

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“The hardest arithmetic to master is that which enables us to count our blessings.” Eric Hoffer

Rain clouds threatened dark and menacing in the distance on our last three miles to Llanes, but we were blessed with just wind and a small spit of rain as we lumbered to the hermitage. We laughed because as soon as we pulled out rain jackets and struggled to put them on, the storm blew past and we walked unmolested the last two miles down the mountain in sunshine and smiles.

“Reflect upon your present blessings — of which every man has many — not on your past misfortunes, of which all men have some.” Charles Dickens

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We were rewarded coming into Llanes with stately Indiano architecture, a man riding by on a bike, waving and cheering us on with “Buen Camino!” Our hotel room overlooked the water and had a gorgeous green hill rising above it with steps up to the Paseo De San Pedro. The view at the top of the Paseo stretched miles with a stunning view of the whole of Llanes and Bay of Biscay extending to the Atlantic. Climbing the hill above our hotel, and bracing myself at the top against the unsteadying wind whipping me around, I smiled as internally for the first time I felt balanced and grounded in equilibrium on the Camino. Despite the loss of enjoyable walking companions and Steve still suffering with trashed feet, we have been the recipients of the blessings of joy and laughter and feeling lightened by gravity.

“When we lose one blessing, another is often most unexpectedly given in its place.” C.S. Lewis