Lessons learned on the journey (Part One)

One of the members of our trip was advised not to come with a group because the lesson learned on the Camino can only be learned when you go alone. And there is truth to the value of quiet time alone with God to shape us, focus us, and teach us individually. But life. Is also a communal journey - best shared with others.

We often strike up conversations with people we pass, or those who pass us - one woman yesterday asked two of us that were walking together - why are you on the Camino? What is your reason for being here? And so I will start a multi-day response to some of the reasons I have heard. Always be prepared to give an answer to everyone who asks you to give the reason for the hope that you have (1 Pet 3:15)

First - reasons we here from others -

Walking the Camino de Santiago is rarely just a long hike; for most, it’s a masterclass in minimalism, resilience, and human connection. Whether you’re trekking the Francés or any other route, the "lessons of the Way" tend to follow a universal pattern.

1. The Art of "Enough"

Most pilgrims start with a pack that is far too heavy. Within three days, they are mailing surplus clothes and gadgets home.

• The Lesson: You actually need very little to thrive.

• The Shift: You learn to distinguish between a "want" and a "need." Carrying only the essentials creates a profound sense of freedom that often carries over into a desire for a simpler life back home. (And many wish they could repack what they brought, even those with the shuttle service).

2. Pain is Temporary, Pride is Permanent

Blisters, shin splints, and exhaustion are part of the daily ritual.

• The Lesson: Your body is capable of significantly more than your mind gives it credit for.

• The Shift: You stop viewing physical discomfort as a reason to quit and start viewing it as a manageable condition of the journey. This builds a gritty, quiet kind of resilience. (Count it all joy. In this world, pain is part of what you carry).

3. Connection Without Context

On the Camino, you meet people from every corner of the globe. Because you are all wearing the same sweaty clothes and sharing the same goal, social status disappears.

• The Lesson: Shared vulnerability creates instant, deep community.

• The Shift: You find yourself having soul-baring conversations with strangers—doctors, students, retirees—without ever knowing their last names or what they "do" for a living. (The very fact that we are on the same journey draws us closer together).

4. Comparison is the Thief of Progress

You will be overtaken by 70-year-olds walking uphill and pass by 20-year-olds nursing injuries.

• The Lesson: Everyone walks their own Camino.

• The Shift: You learn to stop checking the pace of others and focus on your own rhythm. This is a powerful antidote to the competitive "hustle culture" of the modern world. (And you are a different walker on day 4 than you were on day 1).

5. Presence Over Planning

While you might have a guidebook, the weather, a closed restaurant, lost or heavy luggage, or a chance encounter will inevitably ruin your plans.

• The Lesson: The "Way" provides what you need, not necessarily what you planned for. (As we heard someone say - the Camino provides a way).

• The Shift: You develop radical flexibility. Instead of stressing over a missed turn or a full albergue, you learn to adapt and trust that a solution will present itself. (Even when you are off the trail, you find a way back).

6. The Journey is the Destination

The Cathedral in Santiago is beautiful, but the "magic" usually happens in a dusty field in the Meseta or over a cheap bottle of wine in a village square.

• The Lesson: Arrival is often bittersweet; the growth happened in the miles between.

• The Shift: You realize that life isn't a series of boxes to check, but a sequence of moments to be inhabited. (I cannot emphasize enough that the journey in not about the finish line, or the Compostela - a paper you receive akin to a diploma).

7. Everyone has a reason for being here

You meet people who come because of curiosity, a life change, a death or diagnosis, trying to find connection, and a myriad of other reasons.

• The Lesson: Everyone is on the same path but a totally different journey.

• The Shift: You are one among others and your reasons are not any more valid than ano