The Santiago Pilgrim

4:40 PM, August 2, Pereje Municipal Albergue, Bed 12

I am a Santiago Pilgrim. By pure coincidence, the two books I chose to bring on the Road are perfect.

In The Alchemist, a Spanish shepherd boy has a dream and is told to follow his dream by making a pilgrimage to Egypt. He learns about listening to his heart and following his dreams; he learns to refuse the temptation to settle for less than what his heart desires in its fullest. His name is Santiago.

In Slaughterhouse Five, a veteran of World War II recounts his tale of living through the firebombing of Dresden. He explains that he often time-travels and has been abducted by aliens—the Tralfamadorians—who see into the fourth dimension. The aliens teach Billy, the veteran, to realize that life can be viewed as the good moments or the bad or a mix of the two, and it’s our choice to focus on the moments. Billy’s last name is Pilgrim.

Last Wednesday, in Leon, I had to say goodbye to Lisa. After excitement with Boris, a Camino Family dinner, and a great talk—just her and I—in the courtyard, her time was up. She had to catch her plane back home. So it goes. After deciding to walk two days further than originally anticipated, Lida had her last night in the city of Astorga. We had a wonderful dinner and a great breakfast together. And then I hugged her goodbye for the last time. So it goes. The Camino Family ended. So it goes.

But, I am a Santiago Pilgrim. I will not forget the conversation where Lisa strengthened my conviction in listening to my heart as Santiago had to do. I will choose to look back at the positive moments with the two, as Billy Pilgrim might have, and let those define this Camino. I will remember Lisa’s promise to me—in the name of Santiago (of Compostela)—to never let her heart settle for less than the best. I will remember Lida’s saying—“In the end everything will be okay; if it’s not okay, it’s not the end”—and apply it to the belief of the Tralfamadorians: I am the one to choose which moment I view last. If I live through a bad moment in the present, who is to stop me from time-traveling to a happier moment in the past—or in the future—so that the end of every moment is happy?

I am a Santiago Pilgrim. Lisa, Lida—I miss you guys a lot. But know that our time together always was and always will be. Feel free to time-travel to it often.

I am a Santiago Pilgrim. And I have been doing quite a bit of time-traveling lately, and I’m not sure that I have been listening to my heart of Santiago. Perhaps my dreams are beginning to send me in a direction that I didn’t think I was going. The Road, and the influence of these two books, has helped me to accept that perhaps I’ve been ignoring my calling. Maybe it’s time I listen.

I am a Santiago Pilgrim.