Correspondence between Lidia (coach) and Rianne (pilgrim), part 1: letter from Lidia

Dear Rianne,

I interviewed you almost 1 year ago to hear your experiences with the Walk of Wisdom. I just couldn’t find the time to work out the interview. You ‘delicately’ reminded me this week with your kind email. That immediately gave me the impetus for this letter.

Autumn has just begun, a corona autumn. This 2nd^{wave is} different from the^1st in my experience. The sensation is gone, the newness, our ‘we put our shoulders to the wheel’ is no longer so tangible. We have become a bit worn out with the corona. Turned inward, tired of the daily news, seeing the barrenness of social life. It’s like autumn. Isn’t that what you were talking about, that you see nature as a mirror and that that gives insight?

You told me how rich your start to the Walk of Wisdom was. You had asked people around you to write down a blessing wish for you. In the Stevenskerk, the starting point of the Walk of Wisdom, you could read all the wishes. Happy and touched with so many beautiful blessings.

For you, walking the Walk of Walk of Wisdom was special and normal at the same time. Waking up every morning and knowing that all you have to do is walk. That’s much more normal than sitting on a chair all day.

I look at my days these months. I also came to the conclusion that sitting all day with a laptop in front of me is not normal. Via Marktplaats a real bar table was found in no time. But it’s also not normal to stand behind a bar table all day! So what is normal? Doing your daily things with all the movement that goes with it. Moving naturally indoors and outdoors. When I listen to my body, there are many moments when I want to move. That is why it is so wonderful to surrender to a pilgrimage, in which exercise is the norm.

You just told me that while walking you discovered again that you can actually do very well with what is there. It even made you very happy instead of pulling, steering and pushing life. How did you make room for what presents itself? Even if that is difficult, such as the restlessness during your rest day and your injury.

Your journey came to an end, you approached the Stevenskerk. When you stood in front of the door, the church was closed. But you were seen, you were recognized by your eyes. A volunteer from the Stevenskerk said: “You are from the Walk of Wisdom, now I know that, I can see it in the eyes” and let you in. What would it have been that the other person saw in your eyes?

You felt like a traveler, for you the WoW was an ode to being a traveler. A traveler in your own life, always on the road. A beautiful image.

Sincerely,

Lidia
Volunteer at the Walk of Wisdom
Departure ceremony facilitator and pilgrim coach

Read Rianne’s answer here