10 Things

 For this week, I’ll be posting a list a day, starting with 10 things today, 9 things tomorrow, etc. 

10 things I missed while on the Camino (besides the obvious ones like family, friends, and dogs)

10- Being able to eat random foods. While the food was AMAZING, sometimes at home I just want something light for dinner like some cheese and crackers or a hard boiled egg and this wasn’t the way food was done. I suppose I could have figured out how to make it happen, but I didn’t.

9- Regular sheets, comforters, and pillows. While we sometimes got one or two of them, I always used my sleeping bag liner to hopefully avoid any creepy crawlers. 

8- Daily downtime. Every moment of the Camino was incredible! From the beautiful views and experiences to the relationships with friends I met. I’m an extroverted introvert and renew my energy from my brainless downtime. I didn’t want to miss anything so I chose not to take daily downtime, but I missed it (just not enough to miss out!)

7- I missed my clients and hanging out with them. Several of them helped me get there by going for walks and things that helped me prepare for the Camino and I wish they could have seen it.

6- Random conversations with people who know me. One day I accidentally pocket dialed my pastor and we had a conversation about things going on. I realized how much I enjoyed having a conversation that was about church stuff and life back home. It helped me a lot when I was stressed about the weather for walking the next day.

5- Being on the same time as everyone else. It was odd being 7 hours ahead of everyone. I am grateful for Marco Polo and what’s app. But, I didn’t like having to check the time before contacting people.

4- Being in the same place for more than a day. Except for the end of the Camino, each day was a new place, a new albergue, and new sleeping arrangements. Packing up everything every morning was challenging at times. It was kind of the point, and I’m grateful for it because it’s part of the experience. But, I did miss being in the same place and it just made me grateful for my home.

3- Knowing the language of the area. While I am glad I did Duolingo daily over the last year, it only got me so far and I wish I could have been more fluent in Spanish so that I could have had real conversations with people rather than one or two word phrases. I hope to keep learning and if I get to go back, hopefully I can be more fluent.

2- Warm towels and a hot tub! Just kidding! I don’t have that when I arrive home from work now. But, every day while walking in the rain, I would tell my friends that warm towels and a hot tub would be waiting for us! What I missed was knowing what to expect when I arrived. 

1- A long running shower! Most of all, I missed a shower that didn’t turn off every 10-20 seconds. I had to push the button or just hold the button to keep the water on. This is a challenge when also trying to get clean! 

While there were things I missed, some of them were things I could have had if I had tried harder or made the choice to do them. Others were part of the experience and while I missed them, I was also grateful for them. And, several were eye opening to the culture and places other than my little world, which was part of my reason for going. Knowing these things, would I go again and miss them again? Absolutely- in a heartbeat!