“Nature is always lovely, invincible, glad, whatever is done and suffered by her creatures. All scars she heals, whether in rocks or water or sky or hearts.” — John Muir, John of the Mountains Photo taken just outside Fineroyls, France, in the remote high plains of L’Aubrac. This wasContinue reading “Invincible Nature (Almost Wordless Wednesday)”
Category Archives: Quotes for the Journey
The Pull of the Ocean
Most pilgrims set out for Santiago. But for me, it was always about the ocean. I would walk west until my feet touched water, and there was no more “west” to walk.
I Have Always Known (Almost Wordless Wednesday)
I have always known That at last I would Take this road, but yesterday I did not know that it would be today. — Ariwara No Narihira Photo taken just outside Figeac, France. The red and white stripes on the tree mark the Chemin du Puy, the Camino stretching from Le Puy toContinue reading “I Have Always Known (Almost Wordless Wednesday)”
How You Spend This Afternoon (An Almost Wordless Wednesday)
From Annie Dillard’s Pilgrim at Tinker Creek: “Thomas Merton wrote, ‘there is always a temptation to diddle around in the contemplative life, making itsy-bitsy statues.’ There is always an enormous temptation in all of life to diddle around making itsy-bitsy friends and meals and journeys for itsy-bitsy years on end. It is so self-conscious,Continue reading “How You Spend This Afternoon (An Almost Wordless Wednesday)”
3 Camino Mantras for 2017, Part 3: Choose Your Focus
The walk from Castet to Romieu was 30 kilometers (18 miles), a distance we’d walked before, but longer than I ever wanted to do in a day. We’d looked at the maps, though, and talked to our friends on the trail, and decided that a longer walk day while the weather was good was theContinue reading “3 Camino Mantras for 2017, Part 3: Choose Your Focus”
3 Camino Mantras for 2017, Part 2: Sometimes You Win, Sometimes You Lose
I spent a lot of time last week trying to sort through how to make 2017 into a better year than 2016. Not having an election is obviously a good start, but I’m looking for things that are a little more personal. And my most meaningful, personal lessons came from the 79 days I spentContinue reading “3 Camino Mantras for 2017, Part 2: Sometimes You Win, Sometimes You Lose”
Three Camino Mantras to Carry into 2017, Part 1: Practice Acceptance
I tend to approach the world as if everything is negotiable, everything happens for good reasons, and the people who are kind and fair will be rewarded. We can probably blame four decades of reading novels with happy endings for that.
Opportunities (Almost Wordless Wednesday)
“We are so attached to our way of life that we turn down wonderful opportunities simply because don’t know what to do.” – Paulo Coehlo I almost didn’t go on the Camino. The fears almost beat me a dozen times, and they succeeded in delaying me for years. I didn’tContinue reading “Opportunities (Almost Wordless Wednesday)”
The Darkness (Almost Wordless Wednesday)
“In order for the light to shine so brightly, the darkness must be present.” -Francis Bacon Photo taken on the Chemin du Puy, the Camino pilgrimage path from Le Puy, France, to Santiago, Spain.
On a Hike (Almost Wordless Wednesday)
“On a hike, the days pass with the wind, the sun, the stars; movement is powered by a belly full of food and water, not a noxious tankful of fossil fuels. On a hike, you’re less a job title and more a human being….A periodic hike not only stretches the limbs but reminds us: Wow,Continue reading “On a Hike (Almost Wordless Wednesday)”
camino times two 