Life Lessons From The Camino De SantiagoSample

What Really Matters

Life on the Camino is, in many respects, a life of bare essentials. Most mornings we rose, packed our meager set of belongings into a backpack and hiked for five to eight hours. The day was punctuated by stops for meals, rest breaks, or visits with new or familiar companions. Laurie and I prayed together in the morning on the trail and again in the afternoon. We also spent time in individual prayer and reflection.

When we arrived at our chosen stopping point each night, we’d make arrangements at a pilgrim hostel for a place to stay. Then we took time to shower, do the laundry, and relax. If we had time and energy remaining—and the location had interesting sights—we’d play a bit of the tourist.

Email, writing, reading, and dinner with other pilgrims concluded our day. Then we went to bed so we’d be ready to repeat the cycle. This experience taught us how little we truly needed to be happy.

This lifestyle was radically different than our experience before the Camino. For decades we lived in a nice home surrounded by the trappings of the American dream. But many of our possessions required care and financial support. In many respects, they possessed us as much as we possessed them.

But life on the trail was much more simple. With distractions removed, we could focus more on each other and our relationship with God. We were closer to what really matters.

Questions to Consider:

• Do you feel your life is focused on what is truly important?
• What might you do to simplify your life and focus on the essentials?