"Sorrow Stones" as Camino Intentions

"It is said if you pick up a stone and put your sorrow into it, when you place the stone down you leave some of your sorrow behind." 

From the book My Camino

by Sue Kenney

The Caminio has given me so much to be grateful for that I like to give something back to it each time I walk. Before I begin a group journey I make an offer to family, friends and even strangers by email and social media by asking to receive an intention from them. It could be for themselves, another person or for the world. 

For each request I receive I pick up a different stone. I put their intention into it by gripping the stone while I walk and then shift the thought to the stone. When the time feels right, I let it go by setting it back down on the path as a way to give it over to the Camino with the confidence and trust it will be received. 

Some of the stones are small and some are big. It doesn't really matter. I just look for the one that is calling to me. Stone is the slowest moving organism on our planet, and by virtue of that, they are alive and so I listen to them. 

There are rock cairns all along the Camino Frances path and as you can see by the picture, pilgrims leave all sorts of odd items like a pair of boots with the toes cut out! There must be a story behind those shoes!

I received requests from pilgrims who wanted to offer peace, healing and love to other pilgrims. One person was under a lot of stress and wanted help to let it go. Another person lost their Mother and asked for help dealing with the grief. 

And there was a request to help people realize their own dreams no matter where they come from, trouble pasts, abusive families etc to change peoples lives! How noble are these requests? Yet another wanted to offer loving support to their son. A fellow pilgrim offered their Intention to release all that is not serving their highest good and find more joy and fun in life.

Along with 50 or so intentions I also received this beautiful prayer of intention from Laure, a woman who would like to walk the Camino one day. This is a special gift and I am humbled to receive this gift.  Muchas gracias.  

"I will meditate and pray:

-for your feet to be safe and healthy, 

-for your legs and hips to support your and carry you gracefully along the Camino, 

-for your eyes to see the beauty of the people you meet and landscapes you traverse, 

-for your ears to hear the wind, the birds and inspiring stories of pilgrims, 

-for your nose to smell the morning coffee, lavender and rosemary bushes, the sunflower fields, the fresh scent of soap and cooked food at the end of a long day, 

-for your mouth and tongue to taste the delights of tapas, wine and tarta de Santiago, 

-for your skin to feel the kisses of the sun, the caresses of the winds, the gentle embrace of comfortable clothing and soothing hug of warm showers, 

-for your third eye to sense all it is you need to sense, and 

-for your heart to love, open and receive."

Many thanks. 

A very special woman wrote about seeing me on Breakfast Television inToronto years ago. "I have followed you since I woke up watching a TV show while going through cancer treatment 7 years ago and you were talking about the Camino.  The TV was on channel 9 which I rarely watch, and I sat bolt upright and knew I was meant to hear your story." She asked to learn the lesson of forgiveness and: May all people see animals as souls to be treated with kindness instead of items to be used and abused."

Several people asked for help for teenagers who were struggling with drugs or emotional difficulties. 

Each day the first stone is for me, then my children and my Mother, then my sisters and brother and them my friends. I continue to pick up stones along the way in my life offering peace, happiness and love to all sentient beings in the world. It is my Camino gift to you. 

Love and light. 

Suseya!

Sue Kenney

@barebottomshoes

www.suekenney.ca

The next group Camino is in October 2015. We will offer backpack service and all accommodation is booked. Details will be on the website but feel free to email mycamino ook@gmail.com

Day 8 barefoot Picnic in Portomarine

Leaving that morning we decided to stop in the beautiful city of Portomarine to go grocery shopping and buy food for a picnic in the forest. One of our pilgrims had a lot of swelling in her feet and couldn't walk that day. She agreed to buy the food and have it all ready for us when we arrived there later that day. Out destination was Gonzar, a very small village with a municipal Albergue and a private one where we were staying. 

My feet were sore from walking 22kms barefoot the day before, so I wore my demi-soled Barebottom Shoes and Merryl minimalist shoes over them. When I wore the shoes without them, my feet slid around and it created friction. A perfect environment for blisters. Besides I was still experiencing some tenderness on the bottom my foot where I had the infection a few days ago. I used oil of Oregano to try and draw out whatever it was that seemed lodged on there. Then I covered it with Second Skin to keep other infection out!

A few kilometers before Portomarine we stopped at a shelter that provided benches, a fire pit and a roof for pilgrims who needed emergency cover. 

It was after we left there I told one if the pilgrims about the story of the walking stick that I had received from the old man. We came across a place that offered fruit and drinks, for a donation (or Donativo) and I bought a banana. I ate it while I walked. When we arrived in Portomarine, I discovered that I had lost my stick and through the process of elimination, concluded I left it at that place. I was so sad that I couldn't take it to Santiago and pray for him and his wife.  

I wanted to run back and get it! To ease my disappointment, Katherine assured me that everything was perfect as it was. I didn't need the stick to pray for them, I could walk with the intention and pick up Stones for them along the way. Somehow I found peace in that idea. 

Lynn was having some trouble with her foot so she went ahead in a taxi and bought all the food for out picnic as a gift to our group. We sat on the ground, spread out some plastic bags for the good, and we had our picnic. It was so perfect!

The afternoon was long and my feet were sore. I wore my Barebottom shoes to protect the balls of my feet, and still felt the ground with my heels and toes. 

Gonzar seemed to take forever. Some days are slow and others go by so quickly even though the distance is the same. I wonder if my perception changes so easily in real life?

Suseya!

Sue Kenney

@barebottomshoes

www.suekenney.ca

The next group Camino is in October 2015. We will offer backpack service and all accommodation is booked. Details will be on the website but feel free to email mycamino ook@gmail.com

Day 10 Octopus for Lunch - Pulpo

It was a gorgeous day so we stopped to pose for a pic and a Brazilian pilgrim photo bombed us! Gotta love pilgrims. 

We started walking around 8:00am from Casa Domingoon at Pointe Campana. Perfect weather. 

Each day the first stone I picked up was for me. Then I picked up stones for my 3 daughters, my son-in-laws and my 4 beautiful grandchildren. Then I picked up stones for other family and friends, and then I went to the list of intentions I had from people. It was a ritual I repeated every day. 

That afternoon there was a period of time when I felt really down I found myself getting sadder and sadder as the day went on. I decided I didn't want to hold onto that emotion anymore on this Camino and picked up a stone. I put the sadness into it and walked with it for a long time. When I set it down there was a shift. The sadness immediately left and I felt at peace. I left it all on the Camino. Gee, I hope no one picked up that stone after me!!!

I think my favourite terrain is rock. Whether it is in the forest or a stone road, it feels fantastic on my feet with or without Barebottom Shoes. 

Halfway through the day we stopped in Melide to try the famous Galician Pulpo at Exequiel's. We had some Rebiero wine although I never drink during lunch, I had to have some to compliment this delicacy. Not everyone in the group liked it, but they all tried it. As you can see, Jan and Katherine weren't impressed. 

The Octapus is boiled, cut with scissors, drizzled with olive oil and seasoned with paprika. Yummy 

Along the path there are often stalls with fruit, home baked goods and water/juice left for pilgrims. It is suggested that a Donativo be left, which everyone is happy to make. 

We had been walking in the forest for a long time and wondered if we missed the sign to Casa Garea. I happened to notice a wooden sign and turned into the forest to find we were on the right path. We enjoyed time together on the patio and then a pilgrim meal. We had lots of laughs and shared stories of our day. 

Santiago is getting closer. 

Sue Kenney

@barebottomshoes

www.suekenney.ca

The next group Camino is in October 2015. We will offer backpack service and all accommodation is booked. Details will be on the website but feel free to email mycamino ook@gmail.com

Day 7 Thistles on the Side of the Path

Today was a relatively easy day with only 17 kilometers to walk and much of it in the forest where the terrain is perfect for Barefooting, my feet adapted quite well, I just kept going without having to put on and take off footwear. A totally freeing experience!  

People often asked me if I had hard callouses in my feet, as that is the assumption. I think I had more callouses when I wore shoes all the time!  The human body is much smarter than we think. The texture of the soles of my feet actually adapted to the terrain I was walking on almost instantaneously. 

For example, if I was walking on pavement,, the skin on my feet became more tough and slightly calloused. On gravel the layer of fat on my sole hardened and sometimes the gravel would stick into it and is have to stop and pull it off.  I love sand and mud. My feet soften in this environment and the fat becomes mushy. 

That day I walked on stone, sand, gravel, dirt and a bit of mud. It was sunny and about 22C so even the weather was perfect. 

The biggest problem I encountered were the thistles on the side of the path. They wound lodge in my foot and is have to stop and pull them out right away as they are too painful. Last year a thorn got stick in the centre of the ball of my right foot when I was walking the Camino. I had nothing to remove it and had to walk about a Kilometer on it till I got to a bar where they had a safety pin that I used to remove it! Yikes. Don't want to do that again. 

I found that I needed to take numerous rests along the way. I would put my NEW Demi-soled Barebottom Shoes that I've been wear testing) on to give my feet a break or when the gravel was large and sharp. They are so comfortable and the leather sole is still perfect for Earthing! I think runners will like them too. 

The best part if the day was having Lynn and Jan barefooting too! They danced and giggled. It brings out the inner child in each if us. 

By the end if the day I was tired and sore. Carrying an extra 15 lbs on my back puts more pressure on my feet. 

I felt calm, at peace with myself, more energized and happy. 

Suseya!

Sue Kenney

@barebottomshoes

www.suekenney.ca

The next group Camino is in October 2015. We will offer backpack service and all accommodation is booked. Details will be on the website but feel free to email mycamino ook@gmail.com

Day 9 Queimada at Casa Domingo Albergue

That day walked most of the 23 kilometers barefoot as we were often on trails. Unfortunately, one of the guys had a bad blister and couldn't walk the whole way. They say, "You don't walk the Camino, the Camino walks you!" I se this happening time and time again and the best advice is to just go with it. 

We ended the day with my dear friends Anna and Gonsalves' beautiful Albergue in the small village of Ponte Campana. I have been going there since 2005, when we filmed a scene from the documentary Las Peregrinas. They keep a copy of My Camino book on display in a cabinet. And a bookmark hanging on the wall. So sweet of them. 

We arrived tired and hungry. After getting settled in our bunks, we did our laundry and hung it on the line. Them Anna made us a plate of Jamon and queso to snack on with a beer or glass of vino tinto.

We celebrated dinner in the dinning room with about 30 other pilgrims. We sat with Misha from Germany whom we had shared a bunk room with a couple of nights before. 

We also met a man named John, who was leading a group of 5 others on a marriage retreat. They were all from Georgia and Tennessee and had all been sponsored by a restaurant chain to do the Camino. Al the love they shared  and the fun they had was so inspiring to witness. 

After dinner Gonsalves surprised us with an ancient pagan ritual, a Queimada ceremony. He and his brother dressed up in costume and they called men up to the front to stir the concoction of a local liquor Hierbos, coffee beans, orange and lemon, sugar and maybe a few more ingredients. It was lot with a match so it burned a bright flame. 

Gonsalves asked a pilgrim to read to the audience while I stirred and stirred. 

Gonsalves dressed up in a costume with a hat. Once it had cooked long enough we all had a taste. It was very sweet!

It was an early night as we were all very tired. 

We enjoyed a lovely breakfast together and set out to walk 24 kilometers in the sunny and comfortably warm 23 C weather!

Ultreya. 

Sue 

@barebottomshoes

www.suekenney.ca

Next Camino walk with Sue is in October 2015. Pack pack service is included and all accommodation is booked in rural pensions, hotels and private Albergues. 

Mycaminobook@gmail.com

Day 6 28 Kilometer Day

The weather has been incredible. Around 10 Celcius in the morning and 22 C in the afternoon. Sunny every day and dry.

Everyone is always happy when the weather is good! We sang and laughed together and at the same time embraced the beauty of nature all around us. We talked about the idea of "forest bathing". If you are under trees there is a natural healing benefit. How perfect that we would be walking in the forest that day. 

In the rural villages of Spain, each day the cows are herded to the fields in the morning and back home to the village at night. One of the highlights of our day was stopping for the cows to wanly through the villages. 

We left Samos early to get a head start on our 28 Kilometer day. We broke the day into 2 parts. Since we walk faster and further in the morning, we did the slightly longer stretch to walk 15 kilometers to Sarria. The afternoon was another 13 kilometers to Morgade. The weather forcast was perfect for us. 

As usual, I tried to be barefoot as much as possible. My foot was now perfectly healed and I was in good physical shape. My backpack was a little more than 15 lbs but it fit well it is a Deuter which is  designed for a woman's build. I love it!

Suseya!

Sue Kenney

@barebottomshoes

www.suekenney.ca

The next group Camino is in October 2015. We will offer backpack service and all accommodation is booked. Details will be on the website but feel free to email mycamino ook@gmail.com