El Camino de Santiago

David was sitting on a bed just outside a stable, lotus position and eyes closed. A cart nearby was full of organic products, from fruit juices to muesli, and of course yogurt, milk, tea and coffee. A hand painted sign stated “La Casa de los Dioses, free breakfast”.
It was still early in the morning, I had just left Santibañez de Valdeiglesias one hour before and wanted to keep on walking before the sun got too high. I had already had my breakfast and was still dreaming of one of the best dinners of my whole camino: a very simple but delicious chicken with potatoes, an Italian hospitalero granted me the night before. I was neither hungry nor willing to stop, but I had a little talk with David and I remember I asked him if he had shelter for peregrinos. He had.

I didn't know at that time but I was about to spend nearly two weeks in La Casa de los Dioses helping David serve the pilgrims who walked by.

And looking back at it, I really feel lucky I was given the chance of living this experience. An experience of complete reduction of my needs, total sharing and service.
La Casa de los Dioses is a place of the heart where I learnt to appreciate the lack of most things I am used to. It's also the place where I actually started speaking Spanish, a place I will never forget, a place my mind often goes back to with a smile.

But what to me has just been an experience to David is a way of life.
“Every seed has got all its potential inside but needs a period of darkness before it blooms” and out of darkness he completely changed his life and decided to retire from our world and live a simple life at the service of people. He left his home and family to settle in a flat land between Hospital de Orbigo and Astorga, along what has been known as el Camino de Santiago for centuries now. There he created a genuine place where pilgrims can stop and rest. A place where usual structures break down, selfishness fails and possession means nothing.
No light, no toilet, no running water.
No telephone, no internet, no car.
Just what you need to understand life. To see how the less you have, the more you can give. Out of time but still round the corner from civilization. Apart from reality but yet not isolated.

He's got nothing, but he's got everything at the same time.