A Real Rest

Day 9 of walking: Alto do Poio to Samos, 23 km

The one thing I wished I’d had last year on Camino was a pair of tennis shoes. Yes, they are bulky and heavier than a pair of sandals or flip flops, but they also provide a secondary pair of shoes that you can actually wear while walking the Camino. As opposed to just in the evenings when you are resting or walking to dinner.

This year I brought a pair and am so glad I did! I have worn them every day and they have provided my feet with great relief. I wear them for about 5 kilometers, either at the beginning or the end of our day, when we are on long stretches of pavement.

It helps that my backpack isn’t as heavy this year. So I don’t need the ankle support of the boots that I did last year due to the excess weight on my back.

Rand and I went to REI and were fitted for backpacks and that too has made a world of difference! We haven’t had any trouble with our backs or shoulders this year. You would think a backpack is just a backpack, but when you are carrying it 8+ hours a day the fit really does matter!

The most important thing is still the right pair of hiking boots. Rand and I are both wearing different boots this year. I had a pair at home that I loved and simply bought the same pair in a half size bigger, to allow my feet to breathe and stretch. Rand, too, had a pair at home, wider than the pair he wore last year, and they are working well for him. We used to have to stop regularly because his foot would ache (in the same place where I broke mine!). And my broken foot was definitely due to wearing the wrong pair of boots.

All of these contribute to our being able to take longer walks this year. Added to the determination to finish. But still we take many small breaks and one long one each day.

Matthew 11:28-30, in the Message Bible, says,

“Are you tired? Worn out? Burned out on religion? Come to me. Get away with me and you’ll recover your life. I’ll show you how to take a real rest. Walk with me and work with me—watch how I do it. Learn the unforced rhythms of grace. I won’t lay anything heavy or ill-fitting on you. Keep company with me and you’ll learn to live freely and lightly.”

On this trip we’ve learned what it means to take a real rest. Not a pop in for quick cup of coffee and to use the bathroom rest. Not a sit down by the side of the road and drink some water rest. But a real rest. A stop, take off your boots, and don’t get up again for at least an hour rest. We will walk 10 kilometers, stop and take a real rest, and then are able to walk another 10, doubling our average walk day last year.

It gives me a lot to think about, when I relate this to the Scripture. Jesus doesn’t want me to just pop in every now and again. But He wants me to dwell, to linger, to lay down in the grass and put my feet up in His presence. And when I do, I can go so much further in life.

Today, taking care of ourselves and taking a real rest meant being able to see this view, of one of the oldest monasteries in the western world. And getting to walk down to it and spend the night in beautiful Samos!