We first saw Cirque du Soleil when we lived in Colombia and saw a performance in Bogota. It was exhilarating! A mixture of acrobatics, dance, street art and music, the Canadian group defied expectations of what the human body can do. While preparing this blog, I looked up their 2024 schedule and hope to see them again this year. The strength and flexibility needed to achieve their routines was truly inspiring and worth traveling to see.
And that’s what we need right now — strength and flexibility. The Camino del Norte is not going as we had hoped for various reasons: starting extremely early in the season, trying out a different Camino that does not have the same infrastructure as the Camino Frances, and (as much as we hate to believe it), being older. All of these factors have led us to reassess our priorities for the trip and think through what we want to do.
Our questions have ranged from, “Why are we doing this,” to ” We don’t have to do this,” to “What do we most want to do now?”. Letting go of the plan to do the Camino del Norte in its entirety has been hard. We’ve had to remind ourselves that we have nothing to prove to anyone. Flexibility doesn’t particularly come easy to either of us but it’s a powerful discipline to cultivate.
We’re working on that right now.
We’ve decided to skip ahead and try and do the Camino Primitivo in it’s entirety. This will be even more physically demanding but the Camino itself has a better infrastructure … So hopefully we can go shorter or longer, depending on how we’re feeling and there should be sufficient places to stay that are open. And, if we can’t manage the physical strain, then we’ll take a bus and visit some other sites in this beautiful, ancient country. There’s no shame here!
We value your prayers. We also pray for you as we walk the Spanish countryside.
~Terri
Photos of Cirque du Soleil, public domain
Comments
13 responses to “The Gift of Flexibility”
Enjoy following you on your journey🙏
Thanks so much, Sue. Love to you and others in DE!
Flexibility is a very useful, necessary and often underestimated skill. We even had a “goal” in many classrooms in elementary school (at least over the past 2 or 3 decades) of teaching “flexibility” to the kiddos. Blessings to you both, that you are loving, and honoring yourselves enough to use this skill to
do what is needed right now. It can be an incredible trip no matter how long or short you go. Maybe you’re being “Camino Angels” to yourselves right now. Prayers.
Thanks so much, Mary. What a lovely way of thinking differently about deciding to change plans! Mostly, we feel at peace and have decided not to try the Primitivo either right now. It’s just not the right time. Instead we plan to spend time in our favorite places, Santiago, Finisterre and Muxia. Hope you and Joe are doing well.
We are. Will be in the SW until the very end of April this year. Blessings to you as you continue on your journey, wherever it turns out to be.
Right–nothing to prove and no shame. Flexibility is a great characteristic. You are free to do this trip any way you like!
Thanks, Judy! It’s amazingly hard to switch plans but it’s just not working out. We’re still trying to decide this morning whether we’ll do the Primitivo.
I loved your post on Angels a few days ago! The angels are with you now, too, in a different way. Psalm 91 talks about how we are held up by their arms. May you know that as you shift plans. It’s all good! Love and prayers from us.
Thanks so much, Jeanette and Dan!
We have to remember changing plans doesn’ mean failure. Sometimes changing plans means you are exercising wisdom:). And you can still enjoy the journey!
Thanks, Dorothy!! You are so right!
I continue to pray for your health, stamina and protection. You need to do what your bodies tell you to do. God bless.
Thanks, Elaine. Our bodies are protesting loudly right now. They don’t want to carry the ### backpacks!!