Pilgrims' Home

I am home now. It has been one week since leaving Spain, and I thought I would be settled already. The lessons of going slow have yet to come home with me. I am far from settled in. At least the sun and moon have found their normal rhythm in me this side of the Atlantic.  No longer am I waking at 4am and making coffee. Also, I am no longer falling asleep in my dinner at 6pm. But my nighttimes are something spectacular. I dream the Camino. I dream of walking the countryside in Spain. I have no idea whether or not the places I dream are actual places in Spain, but the rolling hills, the agrarian scapes, the cafes, and the church-centered villages populate my deep sleep. One of these past few nights I awoke delirious of my surroundings. I wondered if I was in a monastery or private albergue; If I was in a top bunk or on the bottom. I couldn’t figure out what town I was in. I wasn’t scared but delighted. The idea that I was still there - could it be? I shifted and regained...

I promised that I would write regarding my experiment of the enneagram on the Camino. The days found themselves full, and the technology found itself frustrating. I delayed posting and am now editing the postings and placing them on my blog. The following links will take you to the pages which include my reflections on the enneagram via The Camino. I did this to grow in my compassion for others. I sought to understand the world, as much as one can, from the perspective of others. This is simply an experiment but one I hope provides encouragement to its readers. These became a gift to me as I thought about so many people in my own life, and I pray that for those who carry the energies reflected in these writings, you will also find encouragement and love by way of reading. I welcome your comments. They will be most helpful to other readers.  Peace to you, Kyle image borrowed from https://www.contigolifecoach.com/2016/09/16/infj-3w2-gemini/ Enneagram 9 : Lover's ...

It has been several days since i have written. This is partly due to ignoring the journaling practice and avoiding what is alive in me. It is also because i have been well connected to a group of friends that prefer to process together around a small table and wine. These friends: Manuela (Austria),  Lukas (USA-NYC), Livio (Italy or Southern Europe as he often says), Laura (USA-Memphis), Dulce (Mexico), and Teagan (Australia) have become good friends over the past few days. The relationship began back in Sahagun but solidified several days later when we gathered at an Casa de Camino, an albergue in Valverde la de Virgen. Casa de Camino is sadly located on the highway but joyfully included a hammock circle for tired pilgrims. There were no supermarkets nearby, so we could only enjoy what was available from her albergue, which was pretty much wine, water, and cheese. The hospitalero at Casa de Camino is Carol, and she is a lover of life. Her albergue invited others to ...

The elevation of the Camino begins in such a way as to invite slowness, pacing, and presence. The middle section is called the meseta. It is rightly located. By the middle of the journey, the pilgrim (me) is more attentive to slowness and growing in wisdom to the problems of going fast. Each step is its own, and arrival isn't the goal. The high elevations provides shade and a breeze. The flat meseta provides nothing but unadulterated sunshine. Each step invites a life of trust, love, openness, and presence.  Maps/Images from  Pilgrim Santiago

Last night ended so joyfully. Six of us took a rest day and ended the evening lounging in the hammocks with the other peregrinos. The social nature of The Camino is so joy-filled; there are so little expectations, few if any judgments, and ongoing openness to one another. Everyone is a pilgrim so everyone is looking for connection. Maybe not everyone, but when this happens, we sense it and let the pilgrim go alone.  This morning the alarm went off at 5am, and the six of us rose in unison to begin the day. I have been walking for 20 days and occasionally pilgrims will wake together and leave within minutes of one another. The staggering gives the feeling of being Alone Together. Today, however, we woke up as a group, dressed as a group, and left as a group. Everyone stood outside and waited for the last pilgrim to exit the albergue before taking our first step. It didn’t seem needy but collective and joy-filled and loving.It was a true Camino Family moment. I walked 21km to...

I woke up late today and was committed to doing very little. Several of us woke up in Leon with an eagerness to eat a shared breakfast at El Patio. So I packed my bag, walked the streets of Leon and enjoyed my first and second breakfast in the same place. The breakfast was the best. El patio in Leon had a breakfast special of espresso and tortilla (omelette) for 1,40 euro. I had breakfast twice, and we joked about being Hobbits on the way.  I left at 930 and expected to walk alone to Valverde, but Manuela and Livio walked with me. I am always surprised when we can walk together since pacing is so unique. Sometimes we talked about food, other times, spirituality, and other times enjoyed silence side-by-side. Sometimes i think the exchange between people in silence is more profound than exchanges while talking. Talking is so empty; silence is deep. That’s a bad cliche but true nonetheless. Four of us arrived to Valverde together. Valverde is a tiny village located on a busy ...

First of all, it is 8/8. This has always been one of my favorite days to remember, even long before I knew I was an enneagram 8... Two events of memory happened on 8/8/88. First, the Chicago Cubs played their first night game. Secondly, I remember registering for arts and worship camp at Presbyterian Church of the Master in 1988 (Omaha, NE).I remember overhearing a mom say, as she was writing out the check for camp, it won’t be three eights until 2008 - that is so far away! Now it is ten years past, and most moms haven’t written a check for VBS in some time. Today i woke up at 630am! Quite a difference from 2am. Even more, I went to sleep last night at 8pm. I woke with several pilgrim friends who were eager to welcome me back from a long sleep. They were awake until midnight socializing and wondered if i was still alive when they went to bed.  We left for the Camino at 8am, which is quite late for pilgrims. We stopped at a Roman bridge for a group photo, which is one of my...

August 7, 2018 (a bit behind in posting) I arrived halfway through the camino today. The Camino is either 790 or 776 km. If you add bathroom stops we can all it an even 800 km or 500 US miles. Halfway felt significant today. The halfway point is marked by statues of a Templar Knight and St. Francis. Francis is holding a book with the famous phrase, “ora et labora.” What felt more significant was the completion of a 41 km day. This was a goal from the outset but never imagined i would do it. I wanted a 41 km day because i am 41 years old. Gimmicks take the foot pain away, and there is a lot of foot pain in the world. Most of it sits below my own knees. I couldn’t sleep last night, and when i woke up at 1:42AM , I  was sleeping in a pool of my own sweat. I looked at the temp and it was still 26 degrees outside. It was significantly hotter in the albergue crammed with 75 people on bunk beds. I arose to snoring, farting, and restless legs. I knew there was no chance of going ...

My alarm didn’t go off this morning, and no one was moving about the albergue in Poblacion de Campos. I figured it was only 4am and could sleep for another hour. My phone was charging in the bathroom so i woke up to actually check the time. It was 542. This was the first day where the albergue was quiet past 5am . I quietly gathered my things and began to depart for my short walk to Carrion, a well to do town on the Rio Carrion. I began my 15km walk along the river and enjoyed the earth waking up again. The sun peaked over the hills in the distance and the red and purple hues were glorious.  I arrived in a little town (Villalcázar de Sirga) 10km later and sat for breakfast . Knowing i only had 5km left and it was 8am , i sat for a long time. An hour later Mac (Scotland) and Dulce (Mexico) arrived and sat with me. I never really know how i meet people, but we simply become friends and enjoy whatever time we share together. There is something in this practice that might help th...