One of the...

...greatest and most valuable lessons I have learned so far during my camino is humility. I am not as strong as I think I am. I'm  definitely not better-equipped physically. In fact, if we were to make a comparative chart of all the pilgrims walking at this particular time, I would probably be at the bottom. And these people who bypass me are not even the athletic types. These are people who are older than me, most of the ones I've spoken with are grandparents in their 50s and 60s. This embarrassed me at the beginning until I've made my peace with it and I just accepted that I will never be as fast as them. And as people have been reminding me every day, it's not a race, it's a walk. And a very personal one at that.

In the 12 days that I have been walking, I have only been able to outpace one person. Her name was Annie, she's from Australia. And the reasons I was able to outpace her I think are because: 1. she was probably in her 80's when we met; 2. she was on the first day of her camino; and 3. she was carrying a huge backpack that probably weighed more than her. We were walking uphill out of Pamplona and she had no idea what she got herself into.

Since then, I can't say that I have gotten faster. The uphills are still a major struggle for me but I have learned to listen to my body and I know when to push and when to hold back. I also know when to ask for help and when to stop and rest Next thing I have to learn is how to not stop so much so I can keep up with Anj. :D