Caroline van Oost – Report of pilgrim 16.609
Caroline van Oost walked the Walk of Wisdom as the 16,609th pilgrim ever and wrote the report below. With a wonderful message for all pilgrims and volunteers. Thank you Caroline!
This trip I thought I was going to figure out how I want to shape my work and living situation in the future. Things turned out differently. It was the more practical matters that occupied me, such as: can I handle walking 138 kilometers on my own in seven days and will I find a place to spend the night in time? And yes, I could handle it. Finding a place to sleep soon turned out to be no problem and when I had that confidence, everything else didn’t seem so important or at least no longer an ‘issue’.
It was a great experience to walk alone, without feeling alone for a single moment. To put one foot in front of the other and thus complete the journey in six days, instead of seven. With every step, my head became emptier.
By not planning everything in advance, I ended up in surprising places. For example, along the way I got the tip to stay in a monastery and I experienced that sometimes things work out by themselves. Because after mistakenly calling the wrong number, it suddenly turned out that I had a place to sleep for the coming night.
I think back with great pleasure to the special encounters.
With Tim, the homeless entrepreneur with NAH who was completely grounded but has everything it takes to get back on top and unconsciously gave me the courage to walk 35 kilometers the next day. With Roel, the cook in training who gave me such a warm welcome and showed me around the monastery and served the meals with unprecedented dedication.
With Heli and Drikus where it was a bit of a test ‘who we had in front of us’ but where the reserves at tea with something tasty fell away. What a hospitable, lovely people.
And the fox of course! Who just crossed my path on the Freudenberg.
Priceless was the warm welcome by the people of the Stevenskerk on the day of arrival.
However, the encounter that stuck with me the most was during the first day when it rained incessantly. I am walking through the Ooijpolder when a traveler on a heavily packed bicycle crosses my path, looks at me obliquely from under his hood, raises his fist combatively and cycles steadily on. This wordless gesture of intransigence gives me courage for the whole week and fills me with a kind of pride every time I think about it. I’m doing this, I can do this. Where a small gesture can be big.
In short: I enjoyed it from start to finish, including the suffering where I often laughed at myself.
Because of my struggle with the roadmap that got soaking wet on the first day because I hadn’t thought to bring a plastic cover. (Luckily, on the third day, there was a hiker who helped me install a GPS track on my phone, making following the route a breeze.) Because of my fiddling with the walking sticks. Or that I forgot to pick up a bird ring a few kilometers back. It didn’t really bother me.
And the answers to my questions? I’m going to move on steadily, just like the guy on the bike and see what the future brings.
Finally, one more important thing. Many thanks to all those who have set out this journey and still make it possible, to all the pilgrims who went before me and a ‘fist’ for all those who are still going to walk it. You can do it!
Caroline
