Buenos Noches!
Today...today...today...
Today began with violent thunderstorms resounding outside my window at 6am. My thought? Well, better the rain comes now since we won't get on the bikes for another to hours.
...and God laughed...
Those who know me well, know that I am definitely a fair-weathered cyclist.
...I hear God laughing...
The rain, as you can imagine, did not stop before we got onto the bikes today.
65km including a mountain pass climb & descent in stock for us today.
As we began, the thunder had passed, but the ominous clouds were hanging over and all around us.
No problem. It's an adventure, right?
The rains held off for the first hour. Then, God laughed.
Rain. More rain. Harder rain (I think it was coming sideways). Then came the relentless headwinds. Coldness. Rain. Harder wind. Rain. Did I mention rain? Uh-oh...lost the group. Climb...10km to the first summit...4km more to the actual summit. Where is the group, and the van? Sleet. Colder. (Feet? Who needs to feel their feet?) Dirt roads. Ah! Cute small mountain town! Then some stone road before hitting the gravel and chiprock.Cool, another quaint town! Wahoo! Oh...and still climbing. More wind. Rain lessens enough for a few pictures at the summit. Then down down down the other side. Wheeeeeeeeeeeee! What? What's that bright orb in the sky? The sun? Really? Ahhhh. Oh no! More blackness on the horizon. Here we go again.
So what might I POSSIBLY learn from such a day?
I came on this adventure with an open mind, an adventurous spirit, and an eager heart. Today I went through a whole range of emotions during the ride. In the beginning: eagerness and excitement for the day ahead...and hope that the weather would hold. Then came the rain. No worries...still feeling excited and adventurous as we ventured through small mountain towns, along with a sense of acceptance that we were getting wet today. I wave at the van as I ride by, before I begin "the climb." Next comes the wind. No worries, I can always get in the van if it gets worse. Still fairly excited, feeling a bit determined to persevere through the weather. Surely the rain will stop soon.
An hour later, the weather has taken a turn for the worse. I'm yelling at the sky to stop the wind as I feel like it is pushing me backwards down the mountain. Arrrrgh!! where's the van. I'll flag it down when it comes by. This is not fun anymore.
An hour later...where IS the van? I haven't seen it in forever. Where's the rest of the group? I haven't seen anyone for a couple of hours now. Hmmm. I must be way behind the rest of them. Keep motoring on. You are now a true pilgrim, with no choice but to keep putting one pedal in front of the other. You don't have the option of taking the "easy way out." It's just you. You can either give up and sit on the side of the road, or keep going and trust that you'll be okay. One stroke at a time. The wind and rain cannot make you stop. Only YOU can make you stop. You're choice. Don't stop for too long or you'll get too cold to keep going.
Pedal over pedal. Stroke after stroke, I fought through the driving wind and rain to the top of the mountain. At the top, there is an Iron Cross...an important symbol for the pilgrims along the Camino. The cross stands at the highest point along the entire route. As pilgrims approach this towering monument, they climb to the top of hill of rocks, touch the monument, say a small prayer, and add a rock of their own to the pile. By leaving a rock, the pilgrims leave all their sorrows at the cross as they continue onward towards Santiago. As I left my own rock in the pile, I gave great thanks for the gifts in my life. Yes, the weather was horrible today. Yes, I was certain I wouldn't see anyone from my group again until dinner time. Yes, I was tired and hungry and cold. But I chose this adventure. This life of today.
So while I did leave sorrows at the Iron Cross, the symbol of the cross was also one of great hope and gratitude, as well as a symbol of work to be done. I recognized that while I was by myself on the Camino today, I was never alone. When I was angry and frustrated about the weather, I also had the comfort and support of other pilgrims, as well as the warm thoughts/prayers of all of you, my home community, riding along with me. I was cold, and shop-owners and townsfolk shared me warm campfires and words of encouragement. I was disheartened, and pilgrims shouted "Buen Camino!" I felt alone, and a stranger offered me a smile, a short converstion, and then took a photo of me with the Iron Cross, and we laughed together about the ridiculous weather. I had angels looking out or me every step of the way, making sure I was still smiling and having a "buen camino!" even on a weathered day. And, just when I had resigned myself to the fact that I would not see my group until later that evening, the van pulled up beside me, offered me a snack, and let me know that I was actually ahead of the group...by quite a lot. (Apparently they had stopped to get warm, and I had missed that turn.) I did not get in the van, despite being cold and tired. I knew I was supported, and that was encouragement enough to complete the journey.
So what did I "hear," as a listening pilgrim along the Camino? A reminder. We are never alone, even in our dark hours. It is so easy to be happy and carefree in fair weather, when everything is just the way we want it to be. But during the rainstorms of life, how quickly do we question the presence of the loving spirit in our world? How quickly do we feel alone and indequate. How many times do we ask, can I really do this? And around every corner, in every rainstorm, in the midst of driving wind, we are not only supported (by faith, by friends, by fellow pilgrims), we are also called to a life of gratitude and service. I am so grateful to be here in Spain -- where I saw the COOLEST animal ever, today. (Any guesses as to what animal it was?) I am so grateful to have the opportunity to work with a community as special as OLG. I am grateful for my family, my friends, my health, and all the countless blessings in my life. I am so very grateful for the gift of life.
As I rode today, I reflected on all of the people who live with adversity, and who do NOT choose that adversity. I reflected on the simple ways I can show the poor (homeless, hungry, despairing, jobless, lonely, homebound, etc) that I am with them on their journey. It can be as simple as a smile, as profound as a listening ear or a word of encouragement. It can be as tangible as physically helping someone who is struggling or in need. We are all called to be grateful and to serve...in fair weather and stormy weather. And we are never alone.
For what are you grateful today?
How will you help someone in need today?
There will not be very many photos from today, since the weather made it diffiult to take the camera out of its waterproof bag. However, I think we can all make our own picture of what today's journey looked like, of the way we help others and the ways we show our gratitude for the gifts in our lives. We are all pilgrims along the Camino. Let's work together to make this world a more beautiful Creation.
Weather prediction for tomorrow? More rain to go with the TWO mountain pass climbs and a 100km ride. I am laughing WITH God, now...apparently there is more to learn :)
Buen Camino! ("Good journey!")
Miss Hoch
ps. What was the animal I saw today? A STORK! Who knew that storks reside here in the Galicia mountain region of Spain? We saw them in the huge nests everywhere today! Whoa! I'd never seen a live stork beore today. One more thing for which I'm grateful!
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