Looking for Balance on the Camino
It was day 2 and we were leaving from Portomarín headed toward Pala de Rei. We had a long day of walking ahead of us. After some time together in the morning, reflecting on the Emmaus Road, we threw our packs on and headed out in silence. I felt good and ready for the day’s walk, but something didn’t feel right on my pack. I immediately broke the silence and asked my daughter if something on my pack didn’t look right. After taking some time to look it over she said, “nope, everything looks great,” so we moved ahead.
Walking by myself now I began to contemplate the conversation Jesus, and his disciples must have had there on that road, but I remained distracted by something on my backpack not quite feeling right. About 20 minutes into my morning trek, I stopped and checked all the straps to make sure they were all evenly cinched down. Upon reaching over to my right load lifter strap, I noticed it was completely loose, while the left was tightened down appropriately. These straps are critical for adjusting the pack as they connect the shoulder strap to the backpack structure to ensure that you are carrying the weight on your hips and less on your back.
Just as I realized what was happening, a thought jumped into my mind . . . “your life is unbalanced.” It was a powerful moment that I reflected on over the remainder of my walk that day and has come back to me regularly since that first trek in June of 2023. I began to identify ways in which my life was unbalanced by surveying my work/family balance, my felt need to please others with the need for good self-care and ultimately, the need for better balance and harmony in my marriage. Lessons on the Camino stick with you if you let them. Sometimes we just need new vision and perspectives to see clearly. Answers to life’s concerns can come out of walks on these ancient paths by slowing down and committing oneself to contemplation. And at times, answers come to you when you least expect them.
“The question at the heart of the quest is how to renew our power of vision” Phil Cousineau