Tonight, after work, given the mild weather following truly cold, gloomy, and un-September-like days, I treated myself to a nice run immersed in nature and far from the noises of the day and the city.
Runners know this: running is above all a state of mind: when you run, not only your legs run but also your thoughts.
And, somehow, my mind went back a year: I started retracing paths, recalling emotions and seeing faces along my Camino de Santiago journey.
Now I’d like to talk to you not about the walk itself (more on that next time), but about the motivation that pushed me to undertake this truly magical journey.
I had it in mind for at least two years, but when it came time to choose the destination for my next trip, I would set this dream aside, aiming for more distant and adrenaline-filled places.
Then, fate chose for me..
In May of last year, I had a routine check-up which revealed that I needed further tests, after which I would have to wait a few weeks for the results.
I was brushed off with a “It probably isn’t anything serious, but we prefer to investigate further.”
Those words leave you stunned,your heart suddenly races, your mind starts to replay your life… all in a nanosecond.
The more alive I feel, the more I realize that life must be taken as it is: unexpected events can always knock on your door, at any moment, shattering a plan.
So I learned to take these “detours” philosophically..
And you know what I did? By 3 p.m. that same day, I had booked a flight to Madrid, the high-speed train to Leon, and the night bus from Madrid for the return.
I told myself: why wait for possibly a negative answer that could change my life?
I immediately bought a guidebook and planned my route divided into stages.
I should mention I’m a mountain lover : I experience it fully, from simple hikes to challenging multi-day stages, from trails to rock climbing, from via ferrata to glaciers, so I have good and varied gear.Despite that, I realized some spending would be necessary. So after making my list, I went shopping. The excitement grew as the days until departure decreased.
During those weeks, I trained more at the gym and took longer walks on the
weekends
I was pumped, felt light, and thought little about the test results.
At that point, all that was left was to pack my backpack. The day before, I emptied my wardrobe and drawers of everything I thought I’d bring, with the hopeful illusion of just having to fill the backpack the next morning and finally leave!.
(PS: “hopeful illusion of just having to fill the backpack” because three hours before getting in the car to Malpensa, I packed, unpacked, and repacked the backpack three times!!! I changed its shape so much I deformed it.).
I remember I had just left an office and was heading to my bike when
my phone rang.
(PS: “the silly illusion of just having to fill the backpack” because 3 hours before getting in the car to Malpensa, I packed, unpacked, and repacked the backpack... three times!!! I changed its shape so much I practically deformed it.)
At first, I just thought, “Who could it be? Should I answer?” It was the hospital: they told me I could pick up the report starting the next day..
The voice on the other end threw me into a forgotten dimension and
my heart started pounding wildly.
I remember my voice asking to know the result right then (at that moment my vocal cords weren’t connected to my brain), since I wouldn’t be able to pick it up for a few weeks.
“One moment,” came the reply; then immediately, “let’s see…”: they began reading a poem of incomprehensible words from a purely medical vocabulary. They read and read… but I just wanted to hear the word “negative.” In the end, my ears heard it!.
I remember my voice asking to know the result right then (at that moment my vocal cords weren’t connected to my brain), since I would have been unable to pick it up for a few weeks.
“One moment,” was the reply; and immediately after, “let’s see then…”: he began reading a poem of incomprehensible words from a purely medical vocabulary. He read and read... but I just wanted to hear the word “negative.”
and I felt the warmth of the sun on my face.
I pedaled calmly and relieved; nothing that day could make me feel anything but happy!
I’ll leave you with this saying: “What is in your destiny will happen sooner or later. Life is wise and, at the right moment, will find a way.”
Do you agree? ;)
I’ll leave you with this saying: “What is in your destiny will come true sooner or later. Life is wise and, at the right moment, will find a way.”
Do you agree? ;)