20th May 2016. Aftermath of my walk
After Destination Rome finally attained, I can only confirm that “many roads lead to Rome”
Forging forward
Fearlessly
Fervently
Following fords and fields to
Fulfil faith in final feat.
These are the ultimate words of my versifying friend and I thank her for encouraging me with her intellectual prowess (as she is now in her stride and has enjoyed the blog, she also suggested that I might like to continue on to Naples!). Also thanks to you all for your encouragement and for following my progress which I think sometimes may have fluctuated between Bunyan’s “Pilgrim’s” and Hogarth’s “Rake’s”… Many of you have been in my thoughts, especially those of you who could not undertake such a walk for various reasons, and I have also walked for and with you, and I dedicate my walk to you (and of course to Catherine for the advice and “bonbons” which she gave me and which constantly helped me).
I arrived in Rome so my walk is over, as is probably my “pilgrimage” life given that my knees might not take too kindly to such an effort again, but I have been blessed with good health and have been privileged to have had all the experiences I did over these long kilometres during the last three springs. I will in future be satisfied with doing one or two day walks with my walking group. As Marcel Proust said “The true voyage of discovery is not in looking for new lands but in having new eyes”, so I hope my eyes will continue to remain sharp in the future.
I have reread the “Aftermath” text from last year (you can see it further back in the blog, at the end of the 2015 posts, if you have not read it before) and I could now write the same words again. Mine was not a pilgrimage but more a long walk, an opportunity to step back from everyday life and “take stock” of how I was spending my time, and it was always more about the travelling than the destination. To walk as I have done (the “extraordinary” ordinary), to live well with very little, to become aware of how others live, helps one to dispense with the superfluous “stuff” of everyday life and I have been enriched by this privilege. Simple pleasures and encounters take on another dimension. This was a great gift and made for such rich travelling!
Perhaps last year I didn’t fully realize as it was happening, and only entirely did so as I was recuperating at home, that I had had the privilege of living completely in the present moment for a month. So this year I was more fully aware of that every day. Walking alone in the way I did forced me to be constantly attentive to all aspects of my immediate environment (and of course always to where I was putting my feet…), but also to take care of myself as there were not always others around. And I did so appreciate the encouragement and help of fellow walkers and other people all along the way. I have much to be thankful for and now feel fulfilled in having completed it.
Of course I often thought of Sigeric (and especially when I arrived at St Peter’s) and his long, long walk there and then back home again, with almost nothing, without modern comforts, and the courage it must have taken. What did he think of some of the people he met, the places he went to and the experiences he had? And imagine when he got home he would have been “straight back to work” with all the problems of the Church to deal with…and what might he have made of pilgrims who would be turning up in Canterbury?
Apart from the enjoyable rhythm of my walking days, the beauty of the landscape and other environments, the interest I have found in so many things, what will remain with me most is the warmth of the encounters I have had with so many and varied people. Above all there is one common thread running through it all which is that the Italian people are, in general, blessed with their ability to forge warm relationships, to see life in a certain way and accept it, and make the best of things to obtain a real quality of life. Taking life as it happens and continuing on regardless with good humour, warmth, and fortitude such that, irrespective of what we have or receive in life, what we have to confront and live through, what happens to us, both good and the bad, in the end what really counts is the manner in and attitude with which we face and live out our lives.
I have been enriched in countless ways and beyond any expectations by my walk which has been one of the highlights of my life, and I hope that the memories and the lessons I have learned will remain with me.
To finish, you may be interested in knowing that I went to see the San Rocco church in Rome but it was completely closed up with no external indication that it was dedicated to our favourite saint. However I photographed the plaque on the facade and a friend has given me a rough translation:
“Lest [in order that not] the dreadful plague touch mortal bodies
[and] lest filthy crimes stain immortal souls, come – fall to thy prayers. Rocco”
Some wise words of others have stayed with me. This is a panel next to the road near Berceto which I think speaks to us all:
Roughly translated (by me) it reads:
“Try to discover who you are,
And try to be that which you are.
Decide which thing should come first,
And choose to do it.
Discover your strengths,
Use them and give them space.
Learn to not compete with others
No one is in a battle with you.
When you’ve done this…
You will have learnt to accept your uniqueness
To define priorities and take decisions
To live within your limits
And to give yourself the respect which you deserve.
And your life will be more exhilarating and vital.
…make this known”
And this at the Benedictine Cloister in Sivizzano
PS I am still so grateful for pilgrim Charles (from last year) for showing me how to take a photo without unlocking the iPhone, such a small thing which made such a big difference during my walk (and also for other wisdom which he distilled). Another useful thing I have learned is not to leave on a pilgrimage without a good supply of safety pins as these are invaluable in hanging up clothes to dry when clothes pegs are broken or are in short supply, which is usually the case in hostels!
Arrivederci and be well until we meet again. Lyn