Today’s stats: 13 miles/500 ft elevation. We are almost half way through. 

Today was another day in which “two roads diverged in a yellow wood.” As opposed to the lone traveler who was sorry he couldn’t travel both, we took the road less traveled without any hesitations wanting to walk by the river. It meant we were in the middle of nowhere with the whole trail mostly to ourselves. Once we got to Willalcazar de Sirga, we got a real taste of the meseta - it was getting hot, and on the meseta there is very little shade. The landscape seemed to transition from lush to brown to match the level of difficulty. People say that the meseta messes with your mind, but I find it healing. The effect of walking day after day, and especially when it gets challenging, is that it gives me the opportunity to think, to reflect, and to confront some deep-rooted beliefs and feelings. 

Having had a big breakfast, and a lot of free time to think, I found myself regressing to counting calories and obsessing about food. I have been counting calories since I was 11. Old habits are so hard to break. It’s a struggle for me to silence that internal voice that constantly tells me to watch what I eat.
But on a long walk, I can remind myself to stop wasting energy on the meaningless, to say “NO” to obsessing about healthy eating, to counting calories, and to micromanaging my meals. To try and put all my energy on things that really matter. The good news is that I have about 253 miles to figure it all out.
In the meantime, I live the Camino life to the fullest. I embrace the many wonderful situations and challenges each day presents. I am trying to make them all count. Buen Camino!