On The Camino, Life Lessons Occur At An Accelerated Rate

The Camino Is The Way To Distance Yourself 

The *Camino is the way to distance myself from my life and look at it from afar through contemplation. There is plenty of time along the way, whichever Camino I choose to walk.

The Boring Camino Existence Of Walking, Hiking, Eating & Sleeping

The daily existence on the Camino is a boring existence of walking, hiking, eating and sleeping that reigns in any order. This rhythm is interrupted by me with conversations and reflections. The reflections are dialogues with myself. In the beginning, the reflections are focused on the past, a kind of therapy and saying goodbye. Then the reflections are a mixture of past and present. From the past I shape the future after the Camino in my mind, after a few more days of eating, sleeping, hiking and walking, I am totally in the present and the future, my dreams.

I Surrender Myself Back To The Rhythm That Applies On The Camino

My dreams take shape in tasks for the future sometimes on paper, sometimes through action and sometimes only in contemplation. After this, the rhythm of sleeping, eating, hiking and walking starts again. I surrender to it and occasionally test the ideas formed in my head against reality in conversation with other pilgrims. With this feedback in my pocket, I surrender myself back to the rhythm that applies on the Camino: sleeping, eating, hiking and walking. Santiago approaches and my mind goes unoccupied, my reflections are exhausted, it is quiet.

Keeping The Rhytm Of Camino Outside The Camino Is The Plan

All that remains is to surrender to the rhythm of the Camino: sleep, eat, hike and walk. The silence around me and the silence within me is striking. I am absorbed in the rhythm of dullness and enjoy the rhythm of the Camino to the fullest: sleeping, eating, hiking and walking. Sleeping, eating, hiking and walking and suddenly there is disruption the last 100 km on the Camino. I startle from my dullness, because suddenly the Camino is full and reality approaches in the form of life outside the Camino. I have a plan to keep this boring rhythm and to work out all the plans that have been devised. Less than 1 week left to sleep, eat, hike and walk. There is Santiago de Compostela, my goal. Because of my surrender to the rhythm of the Camino: sleeping, eating, hiking and walking, I walked almost 700 km and mapped out my future after the Camino in a plan. And now the output awaits, hopefully also in this rhythm and I don't go back to the rat race of human existence….

*I hiked the camino to think about what I wanted further from life and Databeet, not to party like some do on the Camino. I talked while hiking with my fellow hikers, but did not party with them or others. I am not a party animal and liked the quietness and calmness of the camino. 

Note: I walked the Camino Portuguese in 2016 and since than I apply mostly with success these rhythm and with keeping this rhythm I successfully produced a Big Data eCourse and hiked more in The Netherlands to mention a few.