I walked and thought.  I walked and thought some more.

 

Feeling alive in a foreign land. The sound of my feet.

My breathing, faster on hills.

The comfort of my pack hugging me.

Water for the day.

My body adapting to the daily routine.

Every day my pack a little lighter, my walking more relaxed and fluid. Calmness and contentment grow.

As it does, the details of life come into focus.

A clarity from decades ago.

 

Unexpected things too.

My asthma – non-existent.

My reflux – gone.

The kind, open people walking, all there for many reasons – just like me. Knowing how important these days are lowering the walls, the anger,

the frustration and the doubt.

 

But the mornings... when it’s time to get out of bed… No…

It’s fleeting.

Eyes slowly clear, body moves.

A new day of what the soul needs and has ignored, awaits.

 

The darkness and cold.

The quietness of the town I’m leaving. All sleeping - apart from the pilgrims.

 

I wonder again, ‘What am I looking for?’ The answer is this.

This moment of peace.

 

The stars clear in the early morning.

The occasional lamp of a pilgrim in the distance. Behind me the sky starts to lighten.

I’m chilled to the bone. The first light touches me.

I turn to face it, shut my eyes and the warmth is welcome.

 

That moment,

I want it to last forever.