Saturday, August 27, 2011
August 27,2011
Cathy has made it to Spain! unfortunately she is having trouble logging into this blog site from there so I am helping.She arrived on Friday and was going to take a train across the country to her next stop but was to tired so took a bus instead. She walked her first 13 miles today and has already connected with several people who are walking the camino including one woman from Boston.The accommodations are interesting including sleeping in one building but having the bathroom in another. She will be trying to work out the bugs and connect to this site so she can write it herself.
Thursday, August 25, 2011
The last List
After days of to-do lists, including a short one today, I am finally done. They are now in the recycling and I'm getting ready to leave for Boston. I couldn't believe all the things that still had to be done - it felt like so much time two years ago, one year ago, one month ago.
But now I'll enter a new kind of time. No to-do list, just miles to walk. It will be interesting to see how this transition goes - I expect it to be a big transition.
I really have to close now, but blessings to all of you who are following me on this pilgrimage. I hope for plenty of computers where I can update things, but if not, I'll call Richard and he can post a note. Thank you for your prayers. I am truly blessed to have this community surrounding me. Well, I'm off!
But now I'll enter a new kind of time. No to-do list, just miles to walk. It will be interesting to see how this transition goes - I expect it to be a big transition.
I really have to close now, but blessings to all of you who are following me on this pilgrimage. I hope for plenty of computers where I can update things, but if not, I'll call Richard and he can post a note. Thank you for your prayers. I am truly blessed to have this community surrounding me. Well, I'm off!
Wednesday, August 10, 2011
The Heel Lifts
Last week I saw the podiatrist. I was having trouble with my left heel - ongoing pain, so I decided I better check it out. He told me it was Achilles tendinitis and I needed to rest it. I explained about my pilgrimage and we worked out an alternative. I hadn't been able to walk much last week, so I would continue to rest it over the weekend. He gave me some exercises to do to help stretch the tendon. And then he suggested that I get 1/4 inch heel lifts as the high arches in my feet put more pressure on my heels when I walk.
So I headed to the medical supply store, found a couple of heel lifts and placed them in my hiking boots. I thought 1/4 inch? What will that do? Well, it changed things. My heel pain from the tendinitis disappeared. But I ended up with a blister on my left heel and also on my right little toe. New blisters! -- I thought I had moved beyond that a year ago. But one tiny change in my boots changed things.
The organization where I work, Preachers' Aid Society, sponsors a program called Tending the Fire that helps clergy to understand how Family Systems Theory works within their families, the church families, and the church as a family. My heel reminded me of systems. One of the lessons of systems theory is that one change (no matter how little) will affect everything. We use a mobile as a visual -- add one tiny piece and the mobile changes. My heel and toe did not continue to blister each day (I helped a little with this) and both will build callouses in the affected areas. Our bodies adapt to the change.
But becoming calloused is hardly how we should deal with the changes that come to people. Often someone in pain will act out in another area of their life - annoying us at a meeting or irritating us with an email. I once heard a lecture on systems theory that encouraged us to be curious rather than judging others. The annoying person may have had a change in their life: a diagnosis, a job loss, a marriage breaking up. Like my heel, we too need to enter into the pain, not building callouses, but caring for one another. Rather than avoiding others, we might need to ask, "How are you?" - "What's going on?"
I will meet some interesting people along the Camino - some helpful, some polite, some nice, and maybe some irritating, some annoying. And who knows, a change in the condition of one foot and I could become a very irritated (and irritating) person. Hopefully my little heel lifts will remind me to listen and also to share with others who I meet along the way. May you walk with curiosity and caring - and, if needed, with callouses on your feet!
So I headed to the medical supply store, found a couple of heel lifts and placed them in my hiking boots. I thought 1/4 inch? What will that do? Well, it changed things. My heel pain from the tendinitis disappeared. But I ended up with a blister on my left heel and also on my right little toe. New blisters! -- I thought I had moved beyond that a year ago. But one tiny change in my boots changed things.
The organization where I work, Preachers' Aid Society, sponsors a program called Tending the Fire that helps clergy to understand how Family Systems Theory works within their families, the church families, and the church as a family. My heel reminded me of systems. One of the lessons of systems theory is that one change (no matter how little) will affect everything. We use a mobile as a visual -- add one tiny piece and the mobile changes. My heel and toe did not continue to blister each day (I helped a little with this) and both will build callouses in the affected areas. Our bodies adapt to the change.
But becoming calloused is hardly how we should deal with the changes that come to people. Often someone in pain will act out in another area of their life - annoying us at a meeting or irritating us with an email. I once heard a lecture on systems theory that encouraged us to be curious rather than judging others. The annoying person may have had a change in their life: a diagnosis, a job loss, a marriage breaking up. Like my heel, we too need to enter into the pain, not building callouses, but caring for one another. Rather than avoiding others, we might need to ask, "How are you?" - "What's going on?"
I will meet some interesting people along the Camino - some helpful, some polite, some nice, and maybe some irritating, some annoying. And who knows, a change in the condition of one foot and I could become a very irritated (and irritating) person. Hopefully my little heel lifts will remind me to listen and also to share with others who I meet along the way. May you walk with curiosity and caring - and, if needed, with callouses on your feet!
Friday, August 5, 2011
Walking Conditions
Years ago someone passed along a copy of "Christian History" which was dedicated to The Wesleys. I'm trying to go through and clear out some magazines so I picked it up and, of course, started reading. The very first article, entitled "Did you know?" noted that John and Charles Wesley would walk home from college - 150 miles! It goes on to say the "journey was often marred by bad roads, inclement weather, and even highway men." I found my self wondering about their shoes... and did they have backpacks?... and what about a poncho or rain gear for inclement weather?... and where did they stay at night.
The point of this paragraph was that they read as they walked, which scared their father. Maybe this is an early version of texting while driving. The paragraph ended with "John maintained that reading for 10 of his 25 daily miles never caused any harm." Twenty-five miles! He walked 25 miles without fancy hiking boots, walking poles, a sunhat with an SPF value, lightweight and fast-drying clothing? That's something for me to think about as I try to get to 15 miles a day.
I just finished reading The Hiding Place which is the story of Corrie Ten Boom and her family. They lived in Holland and were significant leaders in the Dutch underground, moving Jewish families to safety and also hiding a number in their home. They were arrested in 1944 and her father died in prison weeks later. Corrie and her sister were later transferred from prison to a concentration camp. She describes the trip in the cattle car with no food, then the long walk to the concentration camp. It doesn't even matter how long the trip was in this case. It was a long agonizing walk as they were underfed, had spent months in a tiny jail cell, were given no protection against the weather and were still wearing the shoes they had on at the time of their arrest.
Humans have been walking for a lot longer than we have been riding in cars and other forms of transportation. There are days when I think my goal for the day seems out of reach. But most days I think walking is perhaps one of the most natural things humankind can do. So I journey onward. May you have a chance to enjoy a walk.
The point of this paragraph was that they read as they walked, which scared their father. Maybe this is an early version of texting while driving. The paragraph ended with "John maintained that reading for 10 of his 25 daily miles never caused any harm." Twenty-five miles! He walked 25 miles without fancy hiking boots, walking poles, a sunhat with an SPF value, lightweight and fast-drying clothing? That's something for me to think about as I try to get to 15 miles a day.
I just finished reading The Hiding Place which is the story of Corrie Ten Boom and her family. They lived in Holland and were significant leaders in the Dutch underground, moving Jewish families to safety and also hiding a number in their home. They were arrested in 1944 and her father died in prison weeks later. Corrie and her sister were later transferred from prison to a concentration camp. She describes the trip in the cattle car with no food, then the long walk to the concentration camp. It doesn't even matter how long the trip was in this case. It was a long agonizing walk as they were underfed, had spent months in a tiny jail cell, were given no protection against the weather and were still wearing the shoes they had on at the time of their arrest.
Humans have been walking for a lot longer than we have been riding in cars and other forms of transportation. There are days when I think my goal for the day seems out of reach. But most days I think walking is perhaps one of the most natural things humankind can do. So I journey onward. May you have a chance to enjoy a walk.
Saturday, July 16, 2011
Hiking
Yesterday I had a nice walk in Forest Park. A friend joined me in the morning which was great. I took it easy and only did about 10 miles as I was wearing sneakers instead of my hiking boots. I bought very good hiking boot about 2 years ago and one of them ripped in the heal area. I wanted to have them well broken in by August, but I wasn't expecting them to start wearing out! Luckily my shoe repair guy us putting in a new lining in the back, so I'll be ready to go again next week.
Last Friday I went to Vermont with ten others from my church and we hiked Mt Okemo. We had great weather and a lovely day, but I felt a big difference. Going up was okay on the legs, but I had to stop visiting from time to time so I could concentrate on breathing. Coming down I could breathe, but ohhh, were my legs getting tired. The hike is roughly 5.8 miles with an ascent around 1900 feet and a beautiful view of the area (if you climbed stairs up the fire tower). My thighs continued to remind me about the hike for another 3 days!
When I got home I checked my Camino guide book to take another look at the daily ascents. I think I'll be okay as they do get up into the 1500 and 1600 foot range, but they are spread over more miles. I might be going up a short while, down, level for a number of miles, then back up again. At least that is my hope! I'm not certain I could take hiking a mountain more than one day in a row.
So I started thinking... I refer to walking the Camino de Santiago, but last week we talked about hiking, not walking up Mt Okemo. I don't know what I've thought the difference was between walking and hiking, but after Friday I thought it might have to do with pain. So I looked up the definition of hike. Here's what I found in my Webster's dictionary: as a verb it is "take a long walk" while as a noun it is "long walk." Hmmm... guess I'm hiking the Camino de Santiago. Whatever I call it I am going to have to put one foot in front of the other and keep moving forward. Blessings to you as you move forward on your journey this week.
Last Friday I went to Vermont with ten others from my church and we hiked Mt Okemo. We had great weather and a lovely day, but I felt a big difference. Going up was okay on the legs, but I had to stop visiting from time to time so I could concentrate on breathing. Coming down I could breathe, but ohhh, were my legs getting tired. The hike is roughly 5.8 miles with an ascent around 1900 feet and a beautiful view of the area (if you climbed stairs up the fire tower). My thighs continued to remind me about the hike for another 3 days!
When I got home I checked my Camino guide book to take another look at the daily ascents. I think I'll be okay as they do get up into the 1500 and 1600 foot range, but they are spread over more miles. I might be going up a short while, down, level for a number of miles, then back up again. At least that is my hope! I'm not certain I could take hiking a mountain more than one day in a row.
So I started thinking... I refer to walking the Camino de Santiago, but last week we talked about hiking, not walking up Mt Okemo. I don't know what I've thought the difference was between walking and hiking, but after Friday I thought it might have to do with pain. So I looked up the definition of hike. Here's what I found in my Webster's dictionary: as a verb it is "take a long walk" while as a noun it is "long walk." Hmmm... guess I'm hiking the Camino de Santiago. Whatever I call it I am going to have to put one foot in front of the other and keep moving forward. Blessings to you as you move forward on your journey this week.
Sunday, July 10, 2011
What I will miss...
 |
| Abby, Kaya & Keller last year |
One of the things I thought of as I watched was how much I will miss them while I am away on the Camino. Six weeks is a long time to be away from children. School will start, teeth may come out, accidents may happen, accomplishments will be confirmed, and I won't be there. But one thing will not change... I have always held my grandchildren up in prayer each day and I imagine that while on the Camino I will be able to do this extravagantly. If nothing else, I will have time.
Of course there are a number of other things that I will miss while I'm walking - all my possessions in my backpack. More thoughts on that at another time.
Saturday, July 2, 2011
A Day of Walking and a few gifts
Each time I spend a day walking I learn more. Last Friday I walked 12.5 miles, and I felt good at the end! That's exciting because I usually drag myself into the house and generally look like I'm in a state of shock. I think the fact that I had walked 5.6 miles each morning on the treadmill for the 4 days prior made a big difference.
This week I was away on Monday and Tuesday, then only managed 3.8 miles on Wednesday and finally 5.6 miles on Thursday. I was pleased that I walked 13.7 miles yesterday - but oh! I paid for it. My feet and legs were aching throughout the evening. I'm encouraged though. I'm thinking that the daily walking really helps - I'll get to test that theory this coming week. If that is the case, then perhaps walking the camino will get easier as the days progress.
I love walking in Forest Park. Everytime I'm there I see a great blue heron (maybe the same one each time?) This week it was flying over. Last week I saw it fly from one little pond to another and then I watched it watch for fish. What a gift to see this bird each week (and if it's at the park, then maybe it won't be eating the fish in our pond at home). This week I also saw many red-winged black birds. Seems like I was able to get closer to them than usual. Then there's the cute chipmonk population running around and I saw a black squirrel on my way home. That was unusual.
There was a whole group of special needs adults getting ready to get on the little train at the park as I walked by. I imagine that had a great time on their train ride. Later I saw a van of elders from Keystone arriving at the park. I'm not sure if they were going to have lunch, or maybe just see the ducks? It was a beautiful day for their outing.
June 26th has passed, less than two months until I leave for Spain. What will I see there? May all of our eyes be opened throughout this holiday weekend to see the blessings offered to us. Peace.
This week I was away on Monday and Tuesday, then only managed 3.8 miles on Wednesday and finally 5.6 miles on Thursday. I was pleased that I walked 13.7 miles yesterday - but oh! I paid for it. My feet and legs were aching throughout the evening. I'm encouraged though. I'm thinking that the daily walking really helps - I'll get to test that theory this coming week. If that is the case, then perhaps walking the camino will get easier as the days progress.
I love walking in Forest Park. Everytime I'm there I see a great blue heron (maybe the same one each time?) This week it was flying over. Last week I saw it fly from one little pond to another and then I watched it watch for fish. What a gift to see this bird each week (and if it's at the park, then maybe it won't be eating the fish in our pond at home). This week I also saw many red-winged black birds. Seems like I was able to get closer to them than usual. Then there's the cute chipmonk population running around and I saw a black squirrel on my way home. That was unusual.
There was a whole group of special needs adults getting ready to get on the little train at the park as I walked by. I imagine that had a great time on their train ride. Later I saw a van of elders from Keystone arriving at the park. I'm not sure if they were going to have lunch, or maybe just see the ducks? It was a beautiful day for their outing.
June 26th has passed, less than two months until I leave for Spain. What will I see there? May all of our eyes be opened throughout this holiday weekend to see the blessings offered to us. Peace.
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