Life on the Camino
blog
A dream has come true, Thijs, Femke and I are living on the Camino. Why did we dream of this?
When I was walking the Camino I often thought, how great would it be if real life was like that too. Now we live here in a pilgrim hostel on the Camino, this is the new normal. I notice that my system responds well to this. I know what to do here, how to behave without thinking about it. I dare more here, I am myself here because I feel less judgment. Judgment of myself and of others.
The energy on the Camino softens people, the layers slowly fall off. There is no need to defend yourself here, because there is less judgement. You can be who you are, everyone is ultimately a pilgrim, that creates a connection on a deeper vulnerable level. After all, you see each other on good and bad days. There is less rushing, there is less outward show – back to basics.
A thought that increasingly strikes me is 'how do I bring this atmosphere to 'normal' life? That should be possible, right? How great would it be if people there would look out for each other more? That is why I still believe that it is good for everyone to walk a Camino once in their life. At least it has changed my life.
What I wanted to invite in myself is to learn to give more and share without expecting anything in return. Letting go of the idea of scarcity and the fear of lack. What it is ultimately about is moving from me to we. Something that is sorely needed in our society. We also learn this through trial and error. It is maintaining the balance between continuing to take good care of ourselves and others.
Of course, there are also people here who behave according to different norms and values than yours. The Camino is also a reflection of society in that respect, it is the world in miniature. We have had everyone here, astrologers, midwives, unemployed people, hackers and so on. From New Zealand to Canada, from Mexico to South Korea, all nationalities pass through here. It is a great gift to get to know so many people with different backgrounds and cultures.