After the lesson in leadership, Hontanas offered me another experience — this time in the form of a playful surprise.
For a small donation (€1) toward the upkeep of the church, I could “draw” a slip of paper from a little box, each with a quote or thought. (By the way — a brilliant idea: something valuable for one side in exchange for something valuable for the other.)
On my slip I found this sentence:
👉 “What a wonderful life I’ve had! I only wish I’d realized it sooner.”
I felt a lump in my throat. Yes, it’s true — my life was, and is, wonderful. But isn’t it strange that I had to travel thousands of kilometers from home to realize it? To become aware that everything that truly matters is right under my nose every day — and yet I often don’t see it, don’t appreciate it, don’t take care of it?
After Hontanas, this journey changed completely for me. The goal of reaching Santiago lost its importance. I could have returned home at any moment, without any sense of loss. I realized the road does not end in Santiago. That if I wished, I could walk around the globe and return to the very same place.
I was free from the goal I had set out with. I could simply enjoy the journey.
Something in me had begun to shift, though at the time I had no idea what — or, even more, what I was really stepping into 😊.
Only a few years later did I connect the dots:
We shall not cease from exploration
And the end of all our exploring
Will be to arrive where we started
And know the place for the first time.
— T. S. Eliot
Today I feel that after years of seeking, I see the horizon of my explorations. And I know this will not be the end of the road, but the beginning of a new chapter. That everything important and necessary to continue the journey I already have — right under my nose and within me. I just don’t always see it.
The lessons of Hontanas — both clear and subtle — were certainly more than I noticed back then. Camino had more lessons for me — I’ll return to them soon.