I made it. I finished my hike, walking 429 kms over a 3 week period. It was a big personal achievement for me and I surpassed the goal I set for myself going in.

I never thought I would have been capable of that level of physical commitment, but I loved it. It was most definitely a mind, body, soul experience and I cherished every minute. There was something quite cleansing walking to the point of exhaustion every day, alone with one’s thoughts.

One of the final locations along the route was a town called Lavacolla where in ancient times, pilgrims would cleanse themselves from their journey before they entered the city.

Ironically, as I walked into Santiago de Compostela to end my journey, the heavens put on the mother of all storms.

In the moment, it felt rich with symbolism. To get to my destination I could either choose to take shelter and delay my arrival, or face into the driving rain. Without hesitation I chose the latter, forging ahead, trusting my gear to keep me (mostly) dry, knowing in every cell in my body that ultimately I was capable of anything.

And as I stepped into the square at the end, the storm subsided and the sun came out.

So what was the lesson?

We face so many storms in our life. They can be noisy and disruptive, they can appear to slow us down, and they can be scary. We can be paralysed by them, but storms can be deeply cleansing if we allow them to be.

Fear it or face into it. Camino life lesson number four complete.