Day 19 – I always wanted to be Irish – Date 5.3.2025

There is a group of people here from Belfast Ireland.  They kind of adopted me.  I was the only person not in their group at dinner tonight.  Their group is large. . . like 25+ people.  They come to Spain every year for the past 5 years and walk the Camino for 5 days.  They expect to complete their trek to Santiago in 2 years.  They are lovely people, very welcoming.  They asked if I had any Irish heritage and I said I always wanted to be Irish.  I mean they have a holiday just for being Irish, they’ve got a lovely color (green is one of my favorite colors) and they are just fun.  I told them I married a guy who was Irish and then gave the names of my 3 children: Caitlin, Patrick and Maureen.  They said I was Irish!  The people all along the way down the Camino path are wonderful people.  You know what this means. . . PEOPLE ARE WONDERFUL.  We just need to break down the barriers and talk to each other.  As I’ve said before, we all have a lot more in common than we have differences.  

I need to hear that message louder than anyone else.  As I talked about in yesterday’s post, I’ve got a core issue with feeling like I was never acceptable.  Never enough for whatever was before me.  It’s my issue and I need to work on it.  Even if I go back into my history and figure out why I have this core issue, that doesn’t resolve it.  I need to keep kneading it kind of like I do with my grandson when playing with play-doh.  I will continue to chew on this as I walk the Camino.

One more thing, I am homesick.  I’ve been away almost 3 weeks and this is almost the longest trip abroad for me.  I miss my home, my family, my friends, my dog.  I hear the weather isn’t the greatest so I don’t miss crappy Spring weather.  I am now having less days in Spain than I’ve been here.  Hard to believe since I looked towards this trip for so long.  I would appreciate having some relief in my ailments but whatever.  I guess it is helping me appreciate the times where I usually feel fine.  I do find it is easy for me to take things for granted untilI don’t have them anymore.

Tomorrow I have an “easy” day as I am walking on flat surfaces and for only 19 km.  But I really have yet to experience an easy day.  I continue to walk very slowly because I don’t feel the best.  There is really very little spring in my step.  But I’m moving forward so I will try and focus on that.

Pains –  left heel with a 5 day old blister than just doesn’t want to quit & a swollen right ankle that is slowly improving

Traumatized toes: still have 2 of them; nails are really ugly now; be grateful there are no pictures

Pizza – still waiting to have this although I did get the 2 glasses of vino tinto!

Certificates – this morning I did get the “half-way” certificate.  I’d tell you what it says but it’s all in Spanish except for my name.  It’s kind of like winning the National League Championship with your eyes on the World Series or the Stanley Cup or the Lombardi trophy.

Buen Camino