Like being locked up in the house wasn't bad enough, there is talk of food shortages because of supply line issues. I know, I know, it sounds so shallow worrying about not getting garlic for your rasam when there are people who are not sure where their next meal is coming from. But that thought set me thinking and the result was the addition of herbs to my growing (growing) plant collection.
I seeded some coriander in a small pot and today, I noticed that it has shoots popping up. Yay! Rosemary and mint grow in the garden already and I decide that I should try to grow some basil. Unfortunately I did not buy seeds or starters so I decided to look up online to see if I could grow basil from leftover stalks. And I found out (from an Indian guy on YouTube!) that we can. Except, we need a couple of plastic water bottles, the kind that you chug from and throw away, to help the plants grow. We are not fans of bottled water and so didn't have any to use. Long explanation short, a narrow necked bottle, holds the stalks tight without them falling to the base and thus help the roots grow unimpeded.
I didn't have any. Bottles, I mean. Rummaging in the pantry I found one bottle, saved up for a specific reason by my better half (I'll come to that soon). I transferred some stalks to that and still had some leftover. No bottle though. I just left it in a glass cup.
And then today, my husband walks up with yet another bottle and hands it to me going, "Not going to need this am I?".
And it hit me. Today would have been the day he would have left on his pilgrimage. His sabbatical was due now and he had, like the deep thinker he is, decided that gallivanting tourism was not his thing this time and he had to do something different/worthwhile and meaningful. He decided that he would walk the Camino. The entire length of it. 500 miles. From France into Spain.
Once the idea took root, he planned meticulously, read avidly about the Camino, and shopped carefully for things needed on the way, things he could practice with when he hiked in preparation for the walk. He had to cover close to 15-17 miles on foot per day on average and that requires practice. He started practicing October last year and very sincerely hiked every weekend, rain or wind. Noel and I would drop him off at some trailhead and he would walk almost the entire day and call us by evening to be picked up. He used to pack a light lunch and,we are coming to it, a light water bottle. Traveling light was key to walking the Camino because you basically carry everything you need with you everyday. A clunky water canteen would only be a drag. Ergo, a light cheap plastic bottle. His bag is stuffed with clothes to mimic the maximum weight he could carry on a daily basis and he used to take off with his back pack when we dropped him off.The backpack was sitting in our bedroom all these days.The last time it was carried around was early March. Ironically, it was a much shorter hike, with both kids accompanying him. Not his typical solitary march through a scenic path. Was that a sign? I don't know.
His flight was cancelled early April.Who goes to Spain now? Who wants anybody from the US in their country now?
Though the flight was cancelled earlier, the bag lay untouched, still packed-until today. I don't know what came over him, but he decided to unpack on the very day when he would have hefted it onto his back and left for a long journey, following millions of travelers who have traced the same path for centuries.
The preparation is not just physical, but also psychological.The frame of mind required I think, is of extreme discipline. Putting one foot in front of the other. Over and over again, for over fifteen miles everyday, for about 35-40 days. The unpredictability of where you will lay your head that day. Relying on strangers sharing the path with you in case of need. The silence. Which I know he will welcome! All that time stretched out at your disposal.To pray, to think, to wonder, to look back, to look ahead.
While he prepared mentally and physically for the journey, I started making Spanish omelet for breakfast for him frequently. One has to be practical about these thing right? He was used to a low carb diet at home and here he was travelling almost 40 days on foot in a country where bread rules. And he was going to be staying in pilgrim hostels and eating a menu designed for pilgrims - hearty, meaty and of course with servings of bread and wine. So I brought cookbooks home and decided to try out things that he might eat out there.
We had also convinced Emmanuel that he should walk the last 100 miles with his dad.That would make him eligible to receive the certificate handed out to people who have walked the Camino. Badge of honor.
Noel and I were meeting up with the two of them at the end of the journey, for our pagan gallivanting around Spain.That was the plan.
And then the Coronavirus happened.
Of the myriad things that it threw for a loop, to us personally this was the most disappointing. After all, tomorrow is another day. 2021 is as good as 2020 to do it, but once you're geared up for something, it is a big let down if it doesn't happen. But he took it in stride. He is too mature and zen to throw a fit about it. But I can see his disappointment, it's barely below the surface.
I guess God has plans for all of us that doesn't require our input at all. And his plan for us for now is to stay home and stay safe. And to acknowledge that God is omnipresent.
To swallow your disappointment and go about your business like nothing happened is in itself a pilgrimage. It is a journey of self discovery. How well you react to the unexpected. How you rise up from disappointment and dust yourself off and go on. How well you surrender to the greater presence and his plans for you. And by that token, Vincent is on his walk, he has crossed into Spain and is making inroads on his journey to the Camino.
The path to God twists and turns and sometimes jumps off the rails too I guess!
But we'll get back on, soon,God willing.
I seeded some coriander in a small pot and today, I noticed that it has shoots popping up. Yay! Rosemary and mint grow in the garden already and I decide that I should try to grow some basil. Unfortunately I did not buy seeds or starters so I decided to look up online to see if I could grow basil from leftover stalks. And I found out (from an Indian guy on YouTube!) that we can. Except, we need a couple of plastic water bottles, the kind that you chug from and throw away, to help the plants grow. We are not fans of bottled water and so didn't have any to use. Long explanation short, a narrow necked bottle, holds the stalks tight without them falling to the base and thus help the roots grow unimpeded.
I didn't have any. Bottles, I mean. Rummaging in the pantry I found one bottle, saved up for a specific reason by my better half (I'll come to that soon). I transferred some stalks to that and still had some leftover. No bottle though. I just left it in a glass cup.
And then today, my husband walks up with yet another bottle and hands it to me going, "Not going to need this am I?".
And it hit me. Today would have been the day he would have left on his pilgrimage. His sabbatical was due now and he had, like the deep thinker he is, decided that gallivanting tourism was not his thing this time and he had to do something different/worthwhile and meaningful. He decided that he would walk the Camino. The entire length of it. 500 miles. From France into Spain.
Once the idea took root, he planned meticulously, read avidly about the Camino, and shopped carefully for things needed on the way, things he could practice with when he hiked in preparation for the walk. He had to cover close to 15-17 miles on foot per day on average and that requires practice. He started practicing October last year and very sincerely hiked every weekend, rain or wind. Noel and I would drop him off at some trailhead and he would walk almost the entire day and call us by evening to be picked up. He used to pack a light lunch and,we are coming to it, a light water bottle. Traveling light was key to walking the Camino because you basically carry everything you need with you everyday. A clunky water canteen would only be a drag. Ergo, a light cheap plastic bottle. His bag is stuffed with clothes to mimic the maximum weight he could carry on a daily basis and he used to take off with his back pack when we dropped him off.The backpack was sitting in our bedroom all these days.The last time it was carried around was early March. Ironically, it was a much shorter hike, with both kids accompanying him. Not his typical solitary march through a scenic path. Was that a sign? I don't know.
His flight was cancelled early April.Who goes to Spain now? Who wants anybody from the US in their country now?
Though the flight was cancelled earlier, the bag lay untouched, still packed-until today. I don't know what came over him, but he decided to unpack on the very day when he would have hefted it onto his back and left for a long journey, following millions of travelers who have traced the same path for centuries.
The preparation is not just physical, but also psychological.The frame of mind required I think, is of extreme discipline. Putting one foot in front of the other. Over and over again, for over fifteen miles everyday, for about 35-40 days. The unpredictability of where you will lay your head that day. Relying on strangers sharing the path with you in case of need. The silence. Which I know he will welcome! All that time stretched out at your disposal.To pray, to think, to wonder, to look back, to look ahead.
While he prepared mentally and physically for the journey, I started making Spanish omelet for breakfast for him frequently. One has to be practical about these thing right? He was used to a low carb diet at home and here he was travelling almost 40 days on foot in a country where bread rules. And he was going to be staying in pilgrim hostels and eating a menu designed for pilgrims - hearty, meaty and of course with servings of bread and wine. So I brought cookbooks home and decided to try out things that he might eat out there.
We had also convinced Emmanuel that he should walk the last 100 miles with his dad.That would make him eligible to receive the certificate handed out to people who have walked the Camino. Badge of honor.
Noel and I were meeting up with the two of them at the end of the journey, for our pagan gallivanting around Spain.That was the plan.
And then the Coronavirus happened.
Of the myriad things that it threw for a loop, to us personally this was the most disappointing. After all, tomorrow is another day. 2021 is as good as 2020 to do it, but once you're geared up for something, it is a big let down if it doesn't happen. But he took it in stride. He is too mature and zen to throw a fit about it. But I can see his disappointment, it's barely below the surface.
I guess God has plans for all of us that doesn't require our input at all. And his plan for us for now is to stay home and stay safe. And to acknowledge that God is omnipresent.
To swallow your disappointment and go about your business like nothing happened is in itself a pilgrimage. It is a journey of self discovery. How well you react to the unexpected. How you rise up from disappointment and dust yourself off and go on. How well you surrender to the greater presence and his plans for you. And by that token, Vincent is on his walk, he has crossed into Spain and is making inroads on his journey to the Camino.
The path to God twists and turns and sometimes jumps off the rails too I guess!
But we'll get back on, soon,God willing.
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