Day 25- CondomPeople often ask what do you do during the 6-8 hours of walking each day on a Camino? Well it’s usually a mixture of things, enjoying the company of my wife or the occasional pilgrim you may encounter. But mostly it’s about dealing with the solitude. As Enda and I walk the Camino we are never far apart but there are large slabs of the day for which we are walking as though on our own; each to our own thoughts, prayers or whatever strikes our attention. It is the walking in solitude provided by the Camino which gives the chance to escape from normalness.
“April is the cruellest month” wrote T.S. Elliot, but the first 23 days of April here, are in stark contrast to his claim. But today we felt just maybe, the claim has some justification after all. Because this morning at 7am when we commenced walking it was so cold. I used the cold to spend the first part of the morning in a state of mindfulness that focused on the cold enveloping us. I observed the frost everywhere around me on the ground, I noticed the different ways in which leaves and grasses behaved when covered in frost; the frost patches in the shade lasting until 11am. I observed the mist, rising like steam, from the small cold billabongs as we passed by. Observed the feeling of intense cold around the fingers; the nip around the ears; appreciated the stillness of the frosty world where the wind was absent and felt the gladness of having a hat to cover the thinning head. Saw ice actually form on the back of our boots as we walked through frost laden long grass. Many people would say this is impossible, but around or just below zero degrees water has certain peculiar properties. Motion such as the boot moving can cause a nucleation process that causes an instant phase change from liquid to solid. I have only read about this before, but today the Camino allowed me to see it first hand. This hour or so of mindfulness on our cold surroundings turned into a form of prayer, one of thankfulness to our God for the experience we received; for the knowing that we are fortunate individuals who will not need to endure this for more than 3 hours; and with a full knowledge that we don’t have to face the same cold tomorrow unless it is our choice. I once slept rough for 5 hours one night on Sutherland railway station, having worked late at Lucas Heights and missing the last train for the Eastern Suburbs. It was in the middle of a Sydney winter and I wouldn’t wish to ever repeat the experience. Please keep praying for those on our prayer list. Today I would like you to include the nation of France in your prayers. This weekend is the first round of the French Presidential Elections and I don’t think it is an exaggeration to suggest that some outcomes would spell disaster for unity in Europe. Britain’s exit (although unfortunate) will probably be acceptable, but a European Union without France cannot be sustained. Europe in disarray could well see a repeat of past historical belligerences. When I was growing up there was a real fear of the Communist Party winning Government in France, now it’s the other end of the spectrum.
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