Day 296

Today I focused on the little things. You know those things you put off until the end because they just don't seem that important. But then you get to the end and you realize that all of those little things added up to one big pile of "I wish I hadn't waited so long". It's important not to underestimate the little things.

I bought a do-it-all tool, a head lamp, stuff to keep my lips from drying and cracking from the elements, a first-aid kit, gators to keep my legs and shoes dry. Oh, and I bought socks. The softest, most comfortable socks ever. Socks may seem like a little thing, but they are huge when you're walking 500 miles. I tried to buy a utensil with a fork on one end and a spoon on the other. But I received a disapproving look and a reminder that I might be trying to pack a fear in my backpack. There's not a doubt in my mind that's what I was trying to do. I have issues after all. And eating with questionably clean utensils is way up at the top of the list. When the subject turned to drinking water, my hands began to shake, and we moved on to something a little easier. We'll tackle that issue on another day. A day when I'm ready to face the big things. Like buying a hat. A surprisingly big thing. I really, really hate wearing hats. But, it's time to get used to wearing one if I don't want to die of sunstroke somewhere out on the Meseta.

I realized that in life, I tend to procrastinate on the little things. Why do today what you can put off until tomorrow, right? When I end up with enough little things, they become a big thing, and then and only then, do I feel they're deserving of my attention. If I'd just take care of them as they come up, one at a time, little by little, one step at a time, it would save me a lot of stress. Just another of life's lessons learned along the Camino journey I have begun.

"It has long been an axiom of mine that the little things are infinitely the most important." ~Sir Arthur Conan Doyle