'Tis the Gift to be Simple...

“ 'Tis the gift to be simple, tis the gift to be free.”

- Joseph Brackett (Shaker Hymn)

Yesterday sweet Miss Zia and I tramped around, I wearing my full pack and Miss Z, dancing along at my side, as always pulling hard on the leash. I am the tortoise and she the hare.

She wound down after a while so we stopped under a juniper and I shared water with her. She laid there panting while I poured out water into her dish. She lapped up the water and then pawed at the bowl for more.

It was beautiful standing out there in the bright day with the panoramic view of the mountains (still snow on them!). I might have missed this moment, if the dog had not needed to rest. A simple gift from her. I reciprocated with pure water. I scratched behind her ears as we enjoyed the gentle spring breeze.

So often we miss the moments and spend our time in the future.

Later today - I am off to Lowes for some tomato seedlings and then back home to work on some more logistical things for my trip...my gear is coming together. Got some good sandals for post-walk relaxation. Light weight Merrils...they hug my feet in a happy way.

The Future...
When I return home from the Camino, it will be time to start another chapter of our lives. Last night I looked (Online) at AmeriCorps*VISTA jobs -many of the opportunities intrigue me. Loving what you do is important and feeling as if you make a contribution is essential too. There are several VISTA positions that intrigue me. They last only a year...they may be a foot in the door and an opportunity to pursue a new path for a year.

(VISTA jobs are usually capacity building, requiring honed skills and providing better benefits than AmeriCorps positions which are hands-on.) There's a couple positions in Albuquerque that interest me...one at KUNM (Public Radio)working with teens and media....very appealing...MAYBE...but for now, the Camino is the path I am walking. It is not time to move forward on the future. I pause and reflect - like Miss Zia, resting under the tree, enjoying the cool water and the gift of the moment in the shade, I focus on the immediate and relish it. The Camino is my pathway just now. I pause and relish the preparations.

Travelling light and staying conscious of the beauty and abundance around me is my current job. Expressing gratitude is so important, and for me that is what this wonderful opportunity is about. I will have what I need. Walking the Camino is an opportunity to see that belief in action. I can only follow one path at a time. I push aside the temptation to worry - the temptation to be drawn into the drama and limitations of the material, and I look beyond it to things more spiritual.

The simple act of walking the Camino to Santiago is a gift, a simple gift, a gift of freedom...and I will find myself in "the valley of love and delight."*

*The lyrics for the Brackett's Shaker song (quoted above) follow:

'Tis the gift to be simple, 'tis the gift to be free,
'Tis the gift to come down where you ought to be,
And when we find ourselves in the place just right,
'Twill be in the valley of love and delight.
When true simplicity is gain'd,
To bow and to bend we shan't be asham'd,
To turn, turn will be our delight,
Till by turning, turning we come out right.

Life is good...