Day 30 - Walking Back Into Another Life I Love

May 30th - Day 30

The anniversary 

"You forgot the anniversary" You know what movie that comes from?  You know the one with Nicolas Cage and he gets a glimpse of his life as "The Family Man".  That was a game Robin and I always played as our hobby was watching a movie after dinner or with dinner.  We would always incorporate lines of movies in our conversations and have to figure out what movie it came from.  I miss that, those little things that you do when you are in a relationship with someone.  They are not big, just little things you do together.  Those are the things I miss the most.

Our Auntie Alice would always phone and say Happy Anniversary.  It wasn't until we got the phone call that we would remember.  One time we were both like, oh shoot, it's our anniversary I guess we better do something.  So we quickly got dressed and went for dinner.

Portomarin to Palas de Rei - 24.8 km

I started on my own as usual around 5:45, the sun brought the dawn but was masked by the fog.  The cool temperature and the mist made me miss home. The weather felt like a west coast day, devoid of the ocean of course, but the foliage even looked the same.

It didnʼt take long for Christian to catch up. We took today so easy and slow. Christian joined me in my sloth like manner of walking. Christian and his wife's anniversary is May 17th and I had told Christian long ago that May 11th was Robin's and my anniversary.  We weren't walking together at this time so he asked me now if May 11th was a hard day for me.  I started to get upset, what a horrible wife I am!!  I couldn't even remember our anniversary.  I walked for a bit disgusted with myself then I remembered that I never remembered our anniversary and neither did Robin.  In the end it actually made me feel better as this was my norm. I joined Christian in his long breaks but as it was only 24 km today it didnʼt take long before we were at our destination. We got there just as the albergue was opening, perfect timing!

We found our accommodations and Heilio the Brazilian was there and Mix and Marta and Joel. We met another German named William. After Siesta we went grocery shopping and had the same kind of meal as we did yesterday. We couldnʼt cook anything as the kitchen was there but did not have anything to use, not even a can opener. William joined us and was getting angry for everyone talking so loud in different languages, saying idiot, idiot, idiot. Christian talked to him assertively saying he shouldnʼt be acting this way. They spoke in German so I am not sure exactly what he said but William stopped doing what he was doing.

While we were eating Joseph messaged Christian that he was in town so he joined us for dinner and then for drinks. We sat right at an intersection where everyone passed so chatted with other pilgrims enjoying ourselves. As I sat there with Christian and Joseph, watching everyone as they walked by I felt really good about my life. 

Walk right back into another life I love

I realized in this moment that I really love my life, just like I used to. There wasnʼt anything special that was happening I was just enjoying the moment. I occurred to me that the only way I could walk away from a life I loved was to walk right back into another life that I love.

It wouldnʼt be long before this life of walking is over and I am beginning to dread the ending of it. In the beginning I was terrified of leaving home and now I have no desire to leave Spain and my new friends. It is in this moment that I feel it, that wonderful feeling I feel where I say to myself, "I love my life".  I now realize that there is nothing spectacular happening right now as the pilgrims pass.  Nothing has changed but me.  Love is coming back but it comes from within not from anything external.

Robin embodied moving forward and keeping your heart open for another day.  If it wasn't for Robin planting one of his roses on me I would not have any of these wonderful stories.  Robin wrote a pamphlet to help other men use his "technique" to find love.