Faz hoje exactamente um ano que terminei de percorrer o Caminho de Santiago em BTT. Durante 9 dias percorri 900 Kms e para recordar esta data que me marcou bastante, encontrei este texto escrito por um desconhecido e que resume um pouca da experiência que vivi e relatei diariamente num blog que criei e fui actualizando diariamente.
I believe that anyone walking this pilgrimage path goes through such an abrupt adjustment once they return to so-called "normal" life. There is the physical aspect. When walking each day your body releases endorphins that by themselves create a bit of euphoria, or pilgrim's high. Your body is toned (eventually) and I believe it really looks forward to the exertion each day sadly lacking in most of our everyday lives. Then there is the mental/emotional withdrawal. While on the trail each day is a wealth of new experiences and challenges: new friends, new foods, new sights and just the welcome solitude and chance for reflection or meditation. We are unplugged, yet more aware and somehow more alive. Suddenly, whether we reach Santiago, we are seen by others as just another "tourist" (well, maybe a little grottier) and our mantle of "peregrinohood" reluctantly vanishes. Our friends, with whom we've shared so much and with whom we've grown so close, return home. We struggle to understand all the thoughts and emotions we've had throughout the journey while returning back home ouselves. The "Brigadoon" vanishes in a fog, except for the sweet memories remaining in our minds. We wonder where the past days went as we debate ever unpacking our backpacks. Our bodies suddenly ache more than they ever did on the trail and we try to fit our feet into our "normal" shoes. Our friends ask, "How was it?" or "What was your favorite part?" or equally innocuous questions. How do you answer them? "Fine" or "It was all interesting" doesn't scratch the surface. But most of the time, they can't relate to the experience; only someone who has walked the trails. "Maybe you should walk it sometime" we reply with enthusiasm. Perhaps this is one reason that some say the "camino" begins after you reach Santiago. We still struggle with the feelings and want to recreate the joy we felt at seeing the city from afar that first time. We want to re-attain the simplicity of carrying all our needs on our back. We search for the intensity of relationships of like-minds. We look for a clear-cut, measurable goal each day, instead of tasks that have little meaning or hope to an end. We look for a chance to unplug from the noise and din of a noisy, troubled world without the social stigma that we'd receive back home. Maybe that's why we experience the "blues." Maybe that's why many of us continue to walk these trails--in hope, in peace. More trails are reappearing all the time for us and future pilgrims of the world.
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