These days in Santiago de Compostela have served me to reflect on the importance of the road over the destination.
How many times do we not feel impatient to compare ourselves with others and not be able to see that each person has their own times? We are pressured by the rhythm imposed by society and we are in a hurry to achieve a list of goals (although it is always good to be clear about them) without enjoying the process.
Exactly the opposite is what invites us to do the Camino de Santiago. Although this time I only walked 5 kilometers, I am enjoying it since it has helped me to connect with my conscious being.
This year the Catholic Church celebrates the Jacobean, this happens when July 25 falls on Sunday and represents an even more special occasion that happens only 14 times every century.
Although at the beginning of its history, the motivation of those who made the Camino de Santiago was purely religious, today it has evolved to accommodate the greatest number of purposes such as sports, personal challenge, promises, among others.
Today, this pilgrimage has become a life experience recognized as a World Heritage Site by UNESCO and by 2019, it was breaking affluence records, exceeding the figure of 300 thousand pilgrims a year arriving from all over the world.
Although the pandemic has affected the number of walkers these two years, I am happy to think that soon this tourist destination will be fully recovered, to continue being a sign of brotherhood and peace.
And it is that this pilgrimage is not always temporary, that is how I found an establishment of two Venezuelans who made Galicia their new home and where you can taste delicacies from that region. This shows that “the way” summons everyone who receives the call.
Whatever your inspiration, the Camino de Santiago reminds us that each step we take is worth celebrating because it brings us closer to the destination we want to reach.
Each of us can propose to do the Camino de Santiago in an intimate and personal way. That is, enjoying every minute of life, which is a gift, focused on the here and now, hoping to reach that destination that we set for ourselves but that can always evolve a little more and change route once we reach it.
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