You know when you write a blog entry and declare unilateral success, and then you wake up and get humbled almost as soon as you hit save? Today was supposed to be an easy day (only 12 miles), and it ended up being pretty tough. For one, when you build up in your head that it is going to be easier, you expect, well, something easy. Today seemed to go on and on. Then after bragging to everyone that I didn’t have any blisters, I could feel one coming on strong on my pinky toe. After realizing we had more than 5 miles to go, I asked Jackie from Colorado for some help and she fixed my flat tire and got me back on the road.

Sunrise at O Cebreiro, before the fall

Jackie from Colorado is hard worker. In fact she seems to be one of the hardest workers that I have met. She owned and operated a convenience store for 15 years in Denver Colorado. She worked it every day for those 15 years except the 2 days that they close per year, Thanksgiving and Christmas. That means out 5475 days she opened the store for 5445 days. That is a record that even “Iron Man” Cal Ripken could be proud of.

After 3 years of planning, she sold her business in 2021. She spent a little time visiting family and then started walking the Camino on May 8th, 2022. She is trying to figure out what comes next in her life. With only 6 days left, she has not figured that out.

I told her that us flat-landers in Kansas, love to visit her home state of Colorado to enjoy the beautiful mountains and go hiking. She then confessed that after 15 years of living in Colorado she had not once gone on a hike until she visited a couple of state parks in anticipation of her trip to Spain on the Camino. Fifteen years in one of the most beautiful places in America and not once wandering in the see the actual beauty.

It makes me think, what gems are all around me that I am not fully taking in? Am I so busy with work and obligations, that I miss what is right in front of me? Sounds a little pretentious coming from a guy halfway around the world on a pilgrimage. I guess sometimes it takes getting out of your situation to get real perspective. Now that Jackie has stepped back from the craziness of life, I’m going to guess that her vision is going to be much more clear of what God puts in her life.

Pinky toe is healing up fine in case you were wondering.  Thanks, Jackie (who I will probably never meet again, you’re right, I probably wouldn’t want that needle back either).