Wednesday, May 1, 2024
I think we all slept pretty well last night. We were exhausted. This morning, however, we decided to take an extra 30 minutes of sleep, and we took our time getting out. But thankfully, we already had a reservation for today, so we didn’t have to hurry on the way.
We are now off of the meseta, and we are into the mountains. Today was a steady climb -- not steep, but definitely steady -- throughout the day.
It was also pretty cold. We were in the 40’s most of the day. It rained a little off and on, but we were prepared for it, and it didn’t do much to slow us down. If anything, it sped us up because we just wanted to get to the albergue.
On the way, Kimball and I had another really good talk, and I had a moment of clarity. For a long time now, I’ve been listening to the Optimal Work podcast with Dr. Kevin Majeres. He’s a psychiatrist who works at Harvard, and his specialty is helping people to get the most out of their work. It’s not about efficiency or productivity. It’s about using your work to help you become a good person.
Anyway, Majeres is always talking about how if we can view our challenges as opportunities to grow, our bodies will process our adrenaline in order to help us face the challenge. We get stronger. We have more endurance. Our minds are sharper. We have more dexterity in our fingers. So much of what he does is help people to reframe their challenges so that they can see them not as threats but rather as opportunities to grow.
The idea has always resonated with me, and today everything kind of clicked. I was talking to Kimball, and we were talking about the challenge of the Camino -- and particularly the challenging road across the mountains that awaits us over the next week or so. Then suddenly, I was thinking about how in church we are taught that before we came to Earth, we chose to come to Earth knowing that it would be difficult but that through the challenges of mortality we would grow to become like our Father in Heaven.
We came here accepting challenges -- rejecting the easy road -- and if we want to be truly happy here, we have to do the same. It’s the only way to grow. This is something I love about the Camino and about pilgrimage. It’s such an amazing opportunity to accept and embrace the challenge. It’s a reminder of why were are here.
This albergue is great. The girl that runs it is named Beatriz, and she’s super nice. She and Betty hit it off from the start. Betty and I decided to leave the kids with pasta, and she and I went out for a “date night” and got some food at the restaurant downstairs.
When we got back River was playing with Aitana -- Beatriz’s daughter.
I’m exhausted, so I showered quick and climbed into bed, but Betty is still out there just chatting it up with Beatriz and her husband. She’s already invited them to our house in Michigan, and they are making plans to visit Frankenmuth.
Tomorrow we’ve got a tough day. It’s nine steep kilometers up to the Cruz de Ferro, and then 15 steep kilometers down to Molinaseca. I’m going to try to get as much rest as I can so I’ll be ready for it.
