Hola Todos,
I arrived in Santiago yesterday completely exhausted after finishing my final 120kms...900kms in total since September 5th...
As I trudged into the city I had a sense that the exhaustion was not entirely mine. I thought of all of you, preparing for this Thanksgiving weekend, a time spent with food and family and I thought, I think they all need this long weekend...perhaps we all need time to rest. My body is strong, my mind empty...this sense of being very, very tired, I felt, was collective. I was tapping into collective exhaustion. And when I sat down to the computer yesterday afternoon I received news that verified this...my dad had a fall this week and suffered two brain hemmorages. The hemmorages proceeded to affect his heart and he now has a pacemaker and is recovering slowly in hospital. I was devastated and suddenly, sitting there, I felt entirely alone and confused and very, very sad. I thought, how tired he must be in this intense time of healing! How tired his wife, his/my family must be in their worry of him! And so I prayed and sent letters of encouragement and asked for support, which came in abundance...not only from dear ones from afar in the form of wonderful words of support and love, but from friends I have met along the Camino Inglés.
I met with three Portuguese people I have befriended at 8 o'clock last night and they were amazing! I proceeded to get entirely shitfaced and, perhaps that wasn´t the best way to deal with the situation, but it sure felt good at the time! They allowed my to cry and to vent, then made me laugh and gave me plenty of hugs and attention. This morning I awoke to two other lovely people I met, a mother and daughter dyad from New Zealand and they also offered condolences in abundance. Many thanks to Vera, Carolina, Nelson, Tony and Jo...you have blessed me with your presence! Truly there are angels everywhere and you have been my angels during this intense few hours of crisis. I feel more peaceful now and releived to be going to Barcelona where I will meet with a very lovely friend and be close to a major airport in case I receive news that demands I return home. Time will tell. In the meantime, say a prayer for my dad, will you?
Friends, enjoy your long weekend. Love the ones you are with. Hold them close to your heart and give thanks for them in your life, as I give thanks for you. And rest. Something tells me you need it and deserve it. Do a whole lot of nothing, take a nap, read a book. I am thinking of you and am so grateful for you in my life.
Sincerely,
Kim xo
