Almost there
A few days ago, I had a realisation. I used to think that I was a pretty sociable person. But on the walk every day, I would spend a significant portion walking by myself. And then two nights ago, at Puente la Reina, most pilgrims got together to cook dinner together. I learned about this a little late and felt too uncomfortable to invite myself to the meal. My excuse was that I’m a vegetarian and wouldn’t want to impose my dietary restrictions on the folks cooking the meal. But really, I just felt a little out of place.
I had a minor crisis. I wondered if I deluded myself into thinking I was a ‘people’s person’ when I really wasn’t.
Over the last few days, I had meaningful interactions that made me think about quality vs quantity of interactions. At Puente la Reina, I was introduced to a priest from India who’s been in the city for the last few years. He was excited to meet someone from his own country. I asked him how many Indians he had seen in his time in Spain, and he said he’d only seen two or three Indian pilgrims in the last couple of years. Without asking for it, he walked around the town with me and gave me a personal tour of the town's various churches and essential streets. The only common denominator between us was our nationality, but that was enough for him to go out of his way for me. He also invited me to mass in the evening, which I attended shortly.
The next day, while walking from Puente la Reina to Estella, I met Paolo during one of the breaks in a small town. I had seen Paolo many times until then, but we barely spoke. While seeking some respite from the Sun in one of the bars, we got to talking, and I learned that he had been a dealer at a casino for over thirty-five years and had recently decided to quit. He had also visited India over ten times and had probably seen more of the country than I have! That evening, we ran into each other and decided to have dinner together. Paolo and his wife have purchased a house in the Canary Islands and will be moving there soon from Venice. Over dinner, I felt like I got to know him.
Today, walking from Estella to Los Arcos, I met three Romanians with whom I started the Camino at St. Jean Pied de Port. We walked 12 km together between two towns under the burning sun. We spoke about the most random things - the Euro Cup, the hills of Barcelona, relationships with parents and more.
While I’m probably not the most sociable of people, I enjoy authentic conversations with such interesting people. We discussed differences in cultures, got to know each other, and, in general, gave each other company through some rugged terrain.
Tomorrow, I will walk to Logroño from Los Arcos—one of the longest walking days. Wish me luck!
