LOS ARCOS
Keynote: Release

Finding the bravery to move ahead on your own and at the same time being open to support from unusual places and activities.

This was a particularly tough stretch of the trail for me. I was traveling with two souls that were very kind, but spoke no English. This night we slept in a small town at the base of a beautiful mountain with ruins of a castle on top. The village was nearly deserted.  The only life was an ice cream truck that rolled through town in the afternoon.  The castle could be seen from miles off, and when it came into view, I had an experience of recognition that was core deep, but completely mysterious.  The next morning brought me to another internal crossroads.  One of the Italians had left before dawn and the other was having severe problems with his Achilles tendon and tendonitis, something I also was starting to feel.  On the flat and empty plains, covered in nothing but grain as far as the eye could see, I set off walking totally on my own.  I was solo for the first time on the trip.  When I lost sight of my Italian friend behind me, I knew I was truly in the universe’s hands.  What that morning brought was the narrow and winding streets of Los Arcos, the most delicious cookies I have ever eaten in my life as well as the company of an older German man who wanted to practice his English with me.  These gifts, though small, helped me to feel taken care of.  I walked on with the growing awareness that the trail would support me along its length.

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