Pilgrims
Every year in November we celebrate an entire day giving thanks for all the blessings we have by buying a bunch of food, spending hours preparing it, traveling to meet loved ones, and sharing both new and old memories. Innately we long for connection, adventure, and community. I’d like to explore how being a pilgrim more than once a year can spur creativity, trust, growth, and bring self knowledge for a more beautiful life.
At the prompting of my youngest daughter, I embarked on a physical, emotional, spiritual, and healing pilgrimage with Red, riding along the Erie Canal in New York. I can honestly say I was not completely committed to this “adventure”. It was one of those situations where you half commit yourself because it pleases someone else and you want to make them happy, but you, yourself are not “all in.”
“We may have desires, longings, purposes, wishes; but that is not having a strong and determined will....we wish, and we are contented with wishing. We do not carry our wishes into practice; we are discouraged as soon as it is necessary to put our hand to the work, to overcome obstacles or set them aside, to fight against our faults....We wish today perhaps; we begin bravely, but alas! Our energies are soon relaxed...
Everything depends upon perseverance.”
Two weeks before the event I was struggling with a severe respiratory virus that left me very weak. I thought about taking the easy way out, tell my daughter I couldn’t do it…couldn’t regain my strength and leave it at that. Maybe next year? In truth, I was scared and worried for good reason as I had not taken the time to train and I was worried I was not up to the task. I began practicing what I teach: good nutrition, breath work, and self care to regain my physical health.
One week before the big event we started our journey by car, loaded down with bikes, gear, and everything we could think of that we may need. This one week transit allowed me to continue working on my physical and psychological healing. We took opportunities along the way to do short bike rides when we stayed with friends and family to build ourselves up. I knew from research and reading about other cyclists that my body would adapt by day 2 or 3 to the demands I was undertaking if I could hang in there. Here is the truth, we are never really ready when we embark on new journeys that require new skills, abilities, or change.
“A pilgrim lives each day with radical intentionality and utter dependence upon divine providence. When he leaves the comforts and security of home behind, illusions of self-sufficiency and control quickly dissipate. He traverses unfamiliar terrain, encounters new people and customs, and sleeps each night in a different locale. He is vulnerable to the elements and the road’s many pitfalls. He experiences his own physical limits, his dependence on others for aid, and the necessity of paring down his baggage to the bare essentials. He is encouraged by the charity of strangers and enjoys a deep camaraderie with fellow travelers striving toward the same goal. These plights and perils, ecstasies and elations involved in the pilgrims physical journey point to greater spiritual realities, thus imparting life-changing lessons.”
The day of arrival our spirits were high! It was fun learning the logistics: where to sleep, meeting new people, and preparing for the first ride of the eight day journey. We donned our brand new t-shirts, milled around the campsite, and checked out the itinerary. I was so excited to be among “my people” - others who loved cycling! Somewhere inside of me I knew I needed this. I knew enough about myself-that I crave a challenge and I’m not happy being comfortable all the time. It is like a still ocean, beautiful to look at, but waves create power, force, and beauty.
For two days I battled with my body and mind. All I could do was establish a routine: wake up, prepare for the ride, eat breakfast, get on the bike and make it to the first rest stop. The next hurdle was to make it to the second rest stop and finally to base camp for the night, where I showered, ate, and went to bed.
While I tussled with my own limitations on the bike I watched my daughter battle her own. Allowing others to struggle while being supportive and present I believe is a gift. I was a mom on the trip no doubt, but I was also a fellow pilgrim sharing the internal and external struggles. Despite saddle sores, heat, physical exhaustion, mental fatigue, and weather, we kept going. We saw beautiful landscapes and experienced kindness and generosity from people we didn’t know. More importantly, we honed in to what really matters in our lives: love or connection and each other or community. The last mile was the hardest and I shed a couple of tears crossing the finish line while others were standing there cheering us and waving banners. On day one, I couldn’t see the finish line, but on day eight I had accumulated thousands of wheel rotations by putting one foot in front of the other and moving forward each day. I can say I’m an End-to-Ender now on the Erie Canal!
Whether you are embarking on your own pilgrimage through changing your life at home, trying new behaviors, or getting out of your comfort zone, remember, to connect and build a community.