Final post from my wonderful Camino.

On my last few days of hiking, my mind was flooded with the things for which I will always be thankful.

I am now attempting to adjust to life at home. These are the thoughts I remember. They are in no particular order of importance and I know that I am missing so many things.

My feet for walking and walking km. after km. after km.

The willingness of my body to take step after step after step; day after day after day

• Sunny days
• My Zpack
• My Poles
• My Wool Buff
• My fantastic boots
• Rain (but maybe not torrential/sideways)
• Clouds when it is hot
• Breezes on a hot day
• Locals doing their daily work
• Pilgrim sculptures
• Zumo (pronounces something like thumo) Natural =
• Fresh Orange Juice
• The variety of wonderful people I met
• Dancing at a Spanish Festival
• Old Stone houses
• Old Stone Churches
• Old Stone Bridges
• Small villages
• Donativos on the path just when you need one
• Flowerpots filled with flowers on so many houses
• Hórreos – especially one being used.
• Enchanted forests
• Sunflowers (even though they were drooping) and
• sunflowers with smiley faces and arrows.
• Grape fields
• Chestnut trees
• Paths covered with chestnuts that have fallen
• Eucalyptus trees
• Occasional vegetarian meals
• The Portlandia group of American Pilgrims who helped
• me prepare
• Yellow arrows
• Blue and yellow shell tiles
• Directional shells imbedded in the sidewalks
• No bed bugs on me
• Sheep in the road
• Cows in the road
• Birds singing
• Sunsets
• Sunrises
• 360 views on the Meseta
• Lower bunks or stand alone beds (I only had to use one
• top bunk)
• Unpaved paths
• Lentil soup
• Kale/potato soup (Galician Soup) when it actually had
• kale in it.
• Ice-cream; especially in a cone or Magnum Brand
• Singing with other pilgrims
• A full moon at night and when I began an morning hike
• Pilgrims greeting each other and saying, “Buen Camino.”
• Locals saying, “Buen Camino.”
• Pilgrim Blessings
• Occasional good salads
• Laughter
• My lungs for continuing to bring me air on the up hills
• My knees for continuing to work on the downhill slopes
• The absolute miracle of every moment
• My foot massage
• Beds with real sheets
• Hot showers
• Making it up the steep hills
• Making it up any hills
• Finding a bar when I am hungry
• My extra shoe string to hold up my pants
• My clothesline and safety pins
• Fast drying clothes
• Occasional albergues with washers and dryers
• The bathrooms that had soap to wash my hands
• The bathrooms that had toilet paper
• The people who carried out their trash and especially
• their toilet paper
• Firm mattresses when I found them
• People who spoke more than one language
• The bathrooms that had Paper towels to dry hands
• Rare find of real butter
• Albergues that had newspapers to stuff into wet shoes.
• Communal meals – which were usually the best ones

I am also forever grateful for what I have at home in beautiful Portland, Oregon:

• My wonderful family
• My friends
• My own bed
• My shower
• My great big bath towel
• My Waterpik
• My comfortable chair
• My knitting
• Good food
• Time to read
• Oatmeal with walnuts and raspberries