Searching for forgiveness (a letter to God)

Dear God,

On the Camino they say that pilgrims find enlightenment and that through that we come closer to you. That we find you and that we realize things about ourselves and our lives that were lacking. I have been doing a lot of thinking all these 453 km that I have walked as of today and I have come up with a few things that I need to apologize for, a few things I need to make amends for and a few things that I would like to promise.

I am sorry for every time that I have not taken a set-temperature when I have had the chance. When I get home, I´m going to take hot showers that remain that way all throughout. My pennance is to perform the shower dance on a bi-daily basis where I get in the shower thinking the water is hot only to find that in 10 seconds after I´m in it turns alpine cold, 10 seconds after that it goes hell hot. I must at all times jump in and out of the water trying only to be under the stream during the two seconds in between temperatures where it is lukewarm.

My cuticles know not what I do. It was not their decision to come on the Camino. Please don´t punish them. The poor things they are dried and damaged to the point of tearing and bleeding when I reach into pockets to look for things on the go as I do most of the day. My right thumb is the worst as it is the one that goes into my pocket the most. When I get back, I promise to never scoff at weekly manicures and pedicures, and God, thank you for giving me good, non-smelling feet, I´m not sure I could have delt with both underarm and foot funk all on the same body.

When I get home I promise to put a shrine up to the Degree gods. They have truly saved my life and stopped me from smelling like a rat that rolled around in someone´s morning mouth and died (because I could very easily).

In the future, I will perform weekly rain dances to keep the snails happy. The snail has now become my inner spirit creature as there is no other choice but to admire a creature that carries all of its house on its back. I will prosthelitize the word of the snail and let those who are shopaholics head the warning that they might one day be reincarnated into a snail and have a heavy karma to bear.

I would like to apologize for ever thinking that asphalt was ugly or unappealing. In your wisdom you have had me walk for three weeks on other terrain in order to compare and see the superiority of asphalt. The loose stones that shifted under my shoes and made my feet rub against my socks will never be forgotten. The day-after-the rain mud that sticks your foot to the ground like chewing gum and then remains on your boots, weighing down your legs at the layers dry and stick toone another will always be stuck in my brain. The uphill ascents and the downhill descents will always be the peaks and valleys of the ideas that I ponder. Asphalt #1.

Everyone that comes to my house will have to bow down to the central air and heating systems that we have installed as I will make reverence to those of the houses I visit.

I promise to no longer take my car to drive from one side of the mini mall to the other in solidarity with those who are less fortunate than I and are walking the Camino at that moment.

If you help me through this I promise I will make a monthly Pilgrimage to La Carreta and have me a Palomilla with all the trimmings and I will even have a cafecito to end the meal.

I will always try to carry with me the wonderful Camino custom of always greeting random people on the street, even if you have passed each other 25 times in that day. I will salute the people in Miami with Buen Camino! even at the risk of being thrown into a mental institution and being thought crazy.

That´s all for now.

Veronica