Riding the trust bus

There’s a lot that walking the Camino de Santiago has taught me. One of the most enduring lessons is that the journey itself is the teacher, not crossing the finish line.

One memory from my first solo Camino really illustrates this:

I’d decided to take a bus, and made my way to the station. Once I got there, I had no idea what to do and I couldn’t find anyone to help me. There were two long lines and I wasn’t sure which one to wait on. My Spanish was too meager to talk to anyone. Part of me regretted not simply taking a taxi, which would’ve been much easier to manage. I could’ve gotten into the car, told the driver my destination and relaxed until we got there. 

Instead, I decided to trust that it would all work out somehow. What happened was so much more beautiful than a cab ride.

When I got to the ticket window, I handed the agent the printed schedule that showed the bus I wanted. Turns out, the woman standing next to the ticket window was the bus driver. She mimed driving a bus, pointed at me then pointed at her. After I bought my ticket, she placed her hand on my arm and guided me to stand next to her. Like a mother hen taking a chick under her wing. 

Once we got on the bus, we took off immediately, which was a little worrying since the bus I planned to take didn’t leave until later. I took a deep breath and decided to keep trusting - I was on this moving bus and everything was in the hands of the driver. 

As we got closer, I saw the signs for the town I wanted. An elderly passenger got my attention and pointed them out. She smiled and called me pelegrina - meaning pilgrim which is what all of us walkers are.

As I was getting off, the driver made sure I knew which direction to walk. After getting my bag out of the hold, I walked back to say goodbye and received a lovely goodbye in return (plus another stream of Spanish/miming to make sure I knew the way). 

I realized later that this bus made no sense - it wasn’t on the schedule and it took twice as long as it should’ve. Yet it was one of the best transportation experiences - I got to where I wanted to go and I was cared for along the way. All because I trusted it would work out.

This was just a typical day on the Camino, not the “big” day I walked into Santiago. Such a good reminder that on every step of your journey, there’s something valuable for you. No need to wait for the finish line.