Pilgrimage: The pilgrim’s day
“When you walk, the world has neither present nor future: nothing but the cycle of mornings and evenings. Always the same thing to do all day: walk.”
—Frédéric Gros, A Philosophy of Walking
Once you are on the trail — whichever one you choose — the pilgrim’s day is much the same.
* * *
Wake up, wash, and get dressed.
Check your feet. If necessary, tape and plaster blisters as best you can before putting socks and walking shoes or boots on.
Take painkillers if you need to.
Pack your bag.
Eat breakfast.
Walk.
Stop for coffee, food, or beer depending on the time of day and facilities en route.
Walk, maybe alone, maybe with others.
Arrive at your accommodation.
Shower while washing your sweaty clothes.
Check your feet. Dress blisters and take painkillers if you need to.
Eat dinner, maybe alone, maybe with others.
Rest and sleep.
* * *
This daily repetition is one of the blessings of pilgrimage
It simplifies life to its basics.
You have no purpose but to get up and walk.
If you make it to your destination for the night, you have achieved your goal. Tomorrow you will get up and do it again.
But this daily repetition is also part of the challenge.
Even if the way is beautiful, the landscape will remain the same for much of the journey. Another field. Another hill. Another coastal path. Another wood.
If the weather is too hot and sunny, or too wet and miserable, you will trudge through it for hours, regardless.
You will eat mostly the same food every day.
You will tire of wearing the same clothes and having to wash them every night.
You will count your steps on longer days, or sing snippets of song to keep yourself going.
You might walk with another pilgrim for a while, then walk on or let them continue without you. It’s rare to find someone who exactly matches your pace, and part of pilgrimage is finding your own stride.
There are small moments of joy in the day. When the rain clears and the sun brightens a corner of the sky, creating a rainbow over the hills. When you find an unexpected coffee shop with delicious local pastries, or appreciate a cold beer in the heat of the day. When you reach your room for the night and take off your walking boots with a sigh of relief. When you have a hot shower to wash off the sweat.
Happiness can come from the simplest things, that which we take for granted in daily life and barely notice until they become the touchstones of the day.
Questions:
• How might the daily repetition of pilgrimage help you?
• Which parts of the pilgrim’s day do you expect to find the most challenging?
• What brings you small moments of joy?
Resources:
• A Philosophy of Walking — Frédéric Gros
