Keep your head down, take one step at a time

Keep your head down

“Keep your head down, take one step at a time,” is what I found myself thinking and telling one of my companions on the Camino de Santiago. During the coronavirus pandemic, I’m feeling called to continue writing about my Camino and the lessons learned. As I shelter in place, I think about how I’m being called. I wonder what the life-altering lessons are. I wonder how I will be forever changed. As I pondered all these things, I thought to myself, “I’ve been here before.” Indeed, it was just a year ago that I was asking myself these same questions. So, now is the perfect time to get back to my Camino journal to continue to elaborate on the lessons learned last year. I’m pretty sure, the lessons can be applied to this current communal journey we’re on. So here it goes.

Two days into our trip and the first day of actual hiking we tackled the Pyrenees. We had a feeling it was going to be difficult. Included in our preparation was reading posts, books and websites about the Camino. We consulted with our parish priest who had completed the journey just a year before. All I can say is you will never be truly prepared for what you will encounter while climbing the Pyrenees mountains. You will never know until you attempt it yourself. My descriptions can’t even come close to what it was like.

Take one step at a time

Imagine walking in a straight line vertically! THAT’S what it felt like. There was no plateau, no flattening, no reprieve, just constant uphill walking for almost 5 miles. Each time I looked ahead, I felt discouraged and wondered how the heck I could keep on going. As the days continued, we would encounter some really steep inclines up and down. Somedays, the incline came at the end of a very long hike.

After the first few days, I decided I couldn’t keep looking up the hill to see where I was heading. I had to keep my eyes focused on where I was planting my feet. I decided to focus on every small step forward. One step at a time. I could DO that! So as I continued on the Camino, the moment I noticed I was coming to a steep incline upward, I would immediately look down at my feet and simply focus on the next step.

Focus on the present

Then it occurred to me! The lesson became clear. In life we will all experience hills and valleys. Sometimes those hills seem insurmountable. We go from start to finish in our minds and wonder how we’re going to make it. It seems like a long road because of our approach. We run from the present to the future. If this Camino taught me anything, it taught me that I can get through the steepest hills if I stay focused on the present.

Hills and valleys will no doubt find their way into our lives but we CAN scale those mountains. We just have to change our perception and approach to the hill. There is no way around it – the only way is through, one small step at a time!

Remembering this lesson has helped me cope with this pandemic. One day at a time. I can’t focus on “what ifs” – I can only focus on what IS. I can’t grumble at the fact that I can’t socialize like I used to or be as carefree as I used to. But I can focus on the fact that today I am healthy, praise be to God. I can embrace the solitude and silence. It’s here to teach me something! Our God is so awesome, He’s given many of us an opportunity to retreat for an extended period of time without feeling guilty. Can we settle down and hear His voice?

We win

I’m taking this opportunity to ponder the lessons of this current time and the correlations between this time and other times in our history – our salvation history! I trust that we will be triumphant yet again! Thanks be to God!

God bless you!