The goal is the road
Some years ago I made the “Road to Santiago” in Spain. A much transited route by hikers and cyclists from Europe and the world.
The idea came from my sister (Cristina) who was already living in Salamanca, Spain and would hear the pilgrims (people that walk the route) go through the town she lived in daily.
We both started investigating without understanding that we had already begun this adventure.
The main rules were clear:
1. In order to get the “title” of certified pilgrim you had go on foot (no taxi or bus) for more than 100 kilometers.
2. We could sleep every day at hostels for a very low price.
3. The road was signaled with yellow arrows that would indicate the way in every town until you got to the city: Santiago de Compostela. There, we would obtain the pilgrimage.
With these three data Cristina and I left for our first stop “Villafranca del Bierzo”: We left on a bus with our backpacks on our backs and our hearts filled with hope.
In this beautiful and picturesque town we started walking. Each day we would walk 20 to 30 kilometers seeing the most beautiful scenery.
Walking I understood that everything passes and nothing is the same as the past. I
accepted that life shows you different scenarios but it always depends on our attitude
and how we see them and take them in.
Each stage was different, filled with magical moments and roads filled with light. The days weren’t the same. Here time or date had no importance, just the present. If there’s something that I remember vividly is the streaks, the smell of the woods, the nature, the rays of sun in the morning when we left the hostel going through the trees, people greeting you and wishing you a “good road”.
Although many times I felt that I couldn’t go further… It was my sister and my “road friends” the ones that would motivate me to go on with their mere presence. They would make me forget about my pain in the midst of good humor and laughs. That’s how I kept going.
I learned that carrying so much weight on your back (in this case, the backpack) is not necessary. The most beautiful details in life can be found in simplicity.
After walking for more than 200 kilometers we arrived to the beautiful city of “Compostela” where we proudly received or “Pilgrimage Certificate”. And it was just there that I understood that “the goals is not the goal, the goal is the road”. We learned on our road.
That’s how I see my life, when I want to go after a sports or personal goal I remember from the start that the real goal has already begun.
