On paper, the Vigo-Redondela stage is relatively easy, but something told me that it was going to be a complicated day. Indeed, the blister on the sole of my foot began to rise and a fine but freezing rain began to overshadow the dreamy and idyllic walk among pines and oaks overlooking the Atlantic. The previous night's dinner had not sat very well and some intestinal sensations made me foresee an emergency stop or two on the way. I cursed the hour when I said yes to that pilgrimage to Santiago.
After a few kilometers, I became detached from the group so that I could only hear my breathing and the slight crackle of fine droplets on the hood of my raincoat.
After a bend where the trail narrowed and the forest thickened, I plunged into a thick fog and instantly heard someone calling my name:
-Psst, stop it!
-Excuse me? -I answered without knowing where to look.
-Can't you see that you are sick, wounded, wet and alone? Nearby there is a bus stop. You take one and in 20 minutes you're at the hostel having a beer.
The voice was very familiar, it reminded me of my best friend from high school. We got to chatting and he seemed, indeed, to have known me all my life. He agreed with me about almost everything and suggested some brilliant solutions to some problems in my life. Suddenly, the fog lifted and, in front of me, the bus stop appeared. What a great sight!
While I was waiting, I went to a nearby fountain to refill my bottle with fresh water. There was a girl there doing the same thing who, as soon as she saw me, asked me:
-What? Have you had a chat with the voice yet?
-What voice?
-Come on, don't be absent-minded, that voice..." he smiled, tapping his index finger on his temple.
-It is a voice that tells you that suffering is meaningless, that it is not worthwhile to set big goals, that the only thing that counts is to enjoy the here and now, that there are easy solutions for everything... Look, the road is a metaphor for life. If you throw in the towel here, you will throw it in life. If you get ahead here, you'll get ahead in life. Good road! -He said goodbye, threw his backpack over his shoulder again and set off on his way.
Back at the bus stop, the girl's words made me reflect on my lack of faith when things don't go my way. So much so that, when the bus appeared, I let it pass and continued the stage and the road to the end.
It is time to think about what to do this summer. We must not forget that this year the Holy Year of Compostela and the Holy Year of Guadalupe coincide. Either of these two pilgrimages offer us the possibility of walking in nature without crowds, time to reflect, to put our ideas in order, time to believe... If you are going through a thick cloud, forget other voices and go in search of the voice of the Lord. Perhaps you will hear it, as it happened to me, next to a fountain, on the road of life.
Journalist. Graduate in Communication Sciences and Bachelor in Religious Sciences. He works in the Diocesan Delegation of Media in Malaga. His numerous "threads" on Twitter about faith and daily life have a great popularity.
