Tell me what's good about the bad stuff on the camino

[Anthropologist]

Hey!
I'm am anthropology student writing my dissertation on the different ways that pain and discomfort 9as in blisters, heavy bags, sore joints, the heat and so on) can be interpreted and even meaningful on the pilgrimage. i walked it myself and found some very interesting opinions and reasons to keep going when it's 32C outside and your feet are so blistered you can hardly stand up without an ibuprofen. Yet many people said they wouldn't want the pilgrimage to be all pleasant. Any experiences and opinions on the meaning and significance of suffering for modern day (not necessarily Christian) pilgrims would be much welcomed!

Thanks,

Elo

[Covey]

Thank God for Ibuprofen!!

I have often thought whilst walking the Camino Frances that any pain and discomfort enhances the satisfaction we feel at the end of the walking day.

As an "over 60" walking 30kms in the summer heat with a pack tends to get a little harder each year, but after finding a bed, and having had a shower, I can usually be found sitting outside a bar with a cold beer in hand, and a very big smile on my face!!

The harder the walk, the greater the satisfaction and the feeling that it is good to be alive.

[HuskyNerd]

The pain is something you bear in order to participate in the challenge and reach the goal. Each new pilgrim met along the way is a blessing. One works through the pain to find the blessing. Each day full of new pilgrims combines into a journey of many blessings. Soon (after 7-10 days) the pain becomes invisible and all that is left is the joy of each day's discoveries. By the end the pain is forgotten and the memory is filled with a patchwork quilt of new relationships, experiences, sights, joys and dreams.