My Walk on El Camino de Santiago: Be a Finisher

When my group got toward the end of the Camino walk, we could see the church where the pilgrim ceremony takes place. The Pilgrim Mass is usually held daily at 12 noon in Santiago de Compostela Cathedral. At the beginning of the Pilgrim Mass in Santiago de Compostela a list is read out of the number of pilgrims who have been received in the Pilgrims’ Office in the last 24 hours, where they come from, and where they started their pilgrimage.

We got so excited, thinking we were almost there! However, we weren’t really as close as we thought. (It was a bit like the hotels in Las Vegas, they look close, but they aren’t really close at all.) We still had about 1.5 miles to go and my sciatic nerve was giving me big problems. Pain radiated from my lower back and all down the back of my leg. I could barely take a step without a jolt of pain, but there was no way I was going to stop. It was worth all of the pain to finish.

If you start something, keep going even when it is hard. Don’t rob yourself of the experience of being a person of your word. If you are a flake, you are not to be counted on. If you can’t even make a commitment to yourself, it does something to your belief in yourself. Commit. There is always something that can pull you away from finishing what you start, but the more unfinished goals you have, the more regrets you’ll have. I have rarely regretted finishing something even if it didn’t quite turn out as I had hoped.

Some people take this walk on the Camino as a promise to God and to ask for miracles. There was a woman who was struggling along the way. She was 35 and very, very frail. She said she was dying and this walk was her last hope.

“I just need to finish,” she said.

Often fathers and sons take this walk when they feel like they are losing time and connection. They use this walk to prioritize their relationships. We don’t have all the time in the world and all of our days are numbered. Living life knowing this and honoring our people is the best we can do for one another.

When I finally made the last step of my journey into the cathedral, I was exhausted, elated, and proud of myself. The building itself was spectacular, and I felt honored to be inside its walls. At the beginning of the Mass, and as a special welcome, the list of pilgrims who have arrived in Santiago and passed through the Pilgrim’s Office in the last 24 hours is read out, mentioning the starting points of their pilgrimage and their nationalities or the provinces they come from. When I heard our group being called out,  I could barely hold back the tears from the feeling of accomplishment to this herculean achievement. I had a smile that spread across my face.

I had done it.

We are all more capable than we think we are. I encourage you to go through the 12 lessons I have shared and find your Camino too.