9 Things

 9 Things I Didn’t Miss While On the Camino

9- Driving. Walking everywhere was nice. I wish I lived in a more accessible walking town, but there are times I can walk instead of driving to get places. I just have to plan it. If not walking, then biking. With winter coming, this might be short-lived until spring.

8- TV. Not once did I think about tv shows or movies I wished I could be watching.

7- Reading. I am constantly reading when I’m home. But, there was so much to do and people around to walk and talk with that I didn’t have time to read and it was ok. I look forward to reading again when I’m home, but I didn’t miss it.

6- Worrying about what I was eating. While there is high fructose corn syrup in Spain, most of the food is fresh and didn’t have the risk of having it in it.

5- Fast Food. I saw a few fast food restaurants in Madrid and a few as we were leaving Santiago. But, I didn’t have any desire to eat fast food because there were so many good options there I wanted to try. Sometimes I get in a habit of eating junk and I know there are better options at home, too.

4- Being connected 24/7. For the first week, I ended up getting a weekly international call plan. But, by week 2, I wasn’t using it and didn’t renew it. I had Wi-Fi so was able to use the internet at certain times when I was at the albergue, but not constantly. That was nice. It’s making me think about how I might want to do things differently once I’m home.

3- Having to choose what to wear every day. I brought minimal clothing since I had to carry everything on my back. So, I knew what I was wearing each day because I usually only had 1 choice. At the most, I had a choice of 2 shirts or shorts or pants.

2- Being busy. While we were always doing things, it was a different kind of day. I had no obligations except to get up, pack up, and walk. It was nice to give my brain a rest. It’s what I needed and craved. I’m ready to go back now. But, I will be mindful to strive for a little less stress on myself.

1- Eating on the run. Spain makes mealtime an experience. I typically eat at least one meal a day in the car.. sometimes two. I want to make at least one meal a day a sit down relaxing time to enjoy food and family or friends. 

Even more than the things I did miss, these things I didn’t miss had me thinking about what things I might want to do differently at home. How can I make changes for the better based on what I learned on the Camino? It’s definitely a work in progress!