Day 32 - Don't stop me now

With 20km to walk we left early for a town in the foothills of the Catalina Mountains from where we will climb to the highest point on the Camino...the Cruz de Ferro (iron cross) , one of the special spots of the Camino where many pilgrims lay rocks they have bought from home signifying burdens or prayers to lay before the Cross....as I thought about what that might mean for myself there were distractions everywhere. If it wasn't for the landscape and the long parade of interesting pilgrims..it was the usual interruption of pain coming from different places everyday despite having exactly the same setup everyday...oh well pain is always part of the Camino in someway.

The big "distraction" ☺ of the day came with the loud thud I heard behind as we were nearing our first cafe stop at 6 km...Anita had tripped over a rock and despite her poles the pack weight had too much momentum for her to recover and so after over 500 km walking we had our first fall. This could have been more serious as she face planted, hit her forehead, scraped her knees and bruised a hand..so there she was..laying in the dirt...on the Camino..in Spain, what should I do? Immediately Anita's own words came back to me from my nose bleed episode.."get over it...its only a couple of scrapes & bruises" but fortunately sanity prevailed and I tried to render assistance...she subsequently confessed she was distracted by the thought of the first cafe of the morning after our light breakfast. We remember our motto.."Keep calm...keep on walking!"

So as on the Camino as with life....get distracted on your path you may do a face plant...but get up, dust yourself off...you still have a way to go.

There was a timely reminder to us as we crossed over a road...some encouraging or desperate pilgrim had added a few words to the stop sign to remind themselves "don't stop me now!"...no stumble, no sore bodies...are not going to stop us finishing the final 240km to Santiago!!

A final thought I had in my walk today was the realisation that it was Sunday..we would normally have been at Church ...we had been in some of the most amazing man made Churches in the world..towering spires, amazing artwork and unimaginable stain glass colour...yet I felt God remind me that as I walked along this dusty Camino path I was in his Church...everything made by his hand of an intricacy man could only imagine , surrounded by pilgrims searching, sacrificing..looking for something...many will find new and inspired life in him...yea this is Church God ..thanks!

So again.all chores done, we are resting with appropriate medication to ease Anita's pain (see pic) in this beautiful town called Rabanal del Camino ..life and the Camino is good.

ps: included a pic of my "dirty girl" gaiters which finally had to get a wash after suffering so much abuse in keeping the dust and stones out of my boots.