Today looked like a good day for a training walk. I geared up with all the equipment that I have been training with for the last 6 weeks. Shoes, wool socks, lumbar pack. After 5 km I got my first blister. Between my toes!!! I've been walking this distance and more regularly for 6 weeks!! How could this happen?? Shocked and appalled, I was. Dumbfounded. I was taken completely by surprise. And no first aid in my pack.
Lesson One: Blisters are gonna happen, especially when and where you least expect them
Lesson Two: Never, ever, ever leave for a hike without first aid!!
At about 7 km, I decided to take a slightly different route, which would soon meet back up again with my usual route. On this short detour, I was given a gift of the following: after rounding a curve of a street (I was in a residential neighbourhood), I watched as a little boy was being pushed on his bicycle by his mom. He was whooping for joy. It was clearly his first successful ride on a two-wheeled bike. He was so overjoyed that as he passed me, grinning from ear to ear, he said "Did you see that"? I applauded him and told him what a great job he did. That kept me smiling for the rest of the hike.
Lesson Three: It's ok to take a different path, maybe it's even good, or it could even be great.
Lesson Four: There will be joy where you least expect it.
My cell phone didn't have much charge, so I turned it off and was following written directions I had prepared, instead of using the phone's GPS. At about 12 km, I turned east instead of west. Dang my non-existent sense of direction and dang my left/right/east/west dyslexia.
Lesson Five: Have a fully charged cell phone
Lesson Six: Keep it turned on!
Lesson Seven: The directionally challenged should use the GPS at evert turn!!
At about 14 km, just as I began to look for a bus stop because the blister was hurting so much, there appeared a pharmacy. I hobbled in and bought a small "travel pack" of bandages
- total cost $2.25. I took a seat on the bench that providence has placed for me, right outside the store. One bandage
went on my toe with the blister, and another went on the toe touching the bandage
, so I wouldn't get a blister on that one from rubbing on the bandage. Perfection. I was able to finish the final 2.2 km home.
Lesson Eight: The Camino provides, even when you are training!
Lesson One: Blisters are gonna happen, especially when and where you least expect them
Lesson Two: Never, ever, ever leave for a hike without first aid!!
At about 7 km, I decided to take a slightly different route, which would soon meet back up again with my usual route. On this short detour, I was given a gift of the following: after rounding a curve of a street (I was in a residential neighbourhood), I watched as a little boy was being pushed on his bicycle by his mom. He was whooping for joy. It was clearly his first successful ride on a two-wheeled bike. He was so overjoyed that as he passed me, grinning from ear to ear, he said "Did you see that"? I applauded him and told him what a great job he did. That kept me smiling for the rest of the hike.
Lesson Three: It's ok to take a different path, maybe it's even good, or it could even be great.
Lesson Four: There will be joy where you least expect it.
My cell phone didn't have much charge, so I turned it off and was following written directions I had prepared, instead of using the phone's GPS. At about 12 km, I turned east instead of west. Dang my non-existent sense of direction and dang my left/right/east/west dyslexia.
Lesson Five: Have a fully charged cell phone
Lesson Six: Keep it turned on!
Lesson Seven: The directionally challenged should use the GPS at evert turn!!
Lesson Eight: The Camino provides, even when you are training!
