Viana

Viana was having a fiesta for Mary yesterday. I stayed at the church on the hardwood floor. No room at the alburque. Awesome. Helped fix dinner for 12. One of the bars gave me one of the "local" red scarves. I was too late for the bullfight. I did get to see the bulls run through the village street from the balcony of the church.

New day, new blister. We all have noticed what hurts today won't tomorrow, but something will. At least today I could use both feet normally and not walk like an ape. I still don't have speed because of today's blister, but that's OK to.

I found Joop finally. Walked past a bar and saw him. I went up behind him "what's a girl gotta do to get a drink around here?" He and I both burst into tears. He'd been leaving me notes at the side of the road under rocks. Had missed him by 10 minutes and probably 20 meters in Los Arcos the day before.

The footprint pins have become the craze of the Camino! People see the pins and meet and pass messages back and forth about and to me. "You know Theresa"?. I heard Teri for the first time in days last night. The hospitalario of the refuge gave me a place to sleep when the spaces were all gone. He said "Teri" was used by close friends and family. For him to use it said a lot.

I will need to leave before I can finish. I can't hopscotch.....too much to experience every place, every day. Will pick a stopping point, come home and come back again.

My view of life and the world and myself is forever changed. Every hurt and doubt and fear has been neutralized. I know who and what is important. The rest is finito. And when I lose sight of that again, you'll find me back on the camino....where there is always a place to sleep and someone who knows EXACTLY why you're crying.

(From my Treo)