The art of the pivot on the Camino
Sept. 14, 2012
In the world of business advisors are constantly counseling startups and legacy companies on the value of the pivot. It’s a useful skill to be able to quickly change directions when an idea or a product doesn’t seem viable. That has its place on the Camino, too.
Adaptability and being able to change directions is an important part of success here, because what success is sometimes changes. People come to the Camino and start in different cities. They set different goals. They seek different answers. But even here reality intrudes. Pain makes it difficult to go on. The weather can stop you in your tracks. But if you’ve carved out weeks or a month for the Camino totally giving up is often not the answer. Two people who I met here are proof, and they have pivoted.
David and Laura are Americans from Louisiana who are having the vacation of a lifetime. They spent time in Paris and on a river cruise before beginning their Caminos in St.-Jean-Pied-de-Port. About 10 days after they started walking, a severe muscle cramp stopped Laura in her tracks, ironic considering that she had put some of the most difficult climbs behind her. She sought physical therapy and continued by bus while David continued walking. They would meet down the road. Wednesday they had to acknowledge she needed more time off than a couple of days would provide. They pivoted.
They are going to do pilgrimages by car while Laura recovers, visiting Fatima and Lourdes and other holy sites that are within driving distance. They hope to begin walking again in Sarria, doing the last 100 kilometers of the Camino to Santiago de Compostela.
I can only imagine what they will get out of their visits to these amazing sites that weren’t part of their original plans, but I believe their lives will be richer, that our lives will be richer when we meet them in Sarria or Santiago and hear the stories of their faith journeys. I keep them in my prayers, but I know their Caminos will be successful, even if they aren’t what they originally planned.
