That One Question: Part 1

     I was about two miles back to the start of the trailhead when I heard someone behind me ask, "Did you walk the Camino?" I turned to see another solo hiker heading back down the mountain.

    "Yes, we did. Are you thinking about walking it?"

    "I am," she answered. "I'm walking the Portuguese in April."

    "That was our first Camino in 2022. It's a good one," I replied.

    We stopped on the trail and introduced ourselves. 

     Curiously, I asked Claire, "How did you know I had walked a Camino?"

    "I saw the shell on the back of your backpack," She pointed.

    

    There is an actual shell that often swings from the back of a pilgrim's backpack, symbolizing the walk of the modern-day pilgrim toward the Cathedral of St. James in Santiago, Spain where Saint James the Apostle is laid to rest. 

    My backpack doesn't display a scalloped shell, but I do have a Camino pin that displays the yellow shell above the yellow arrow, symbolic of directing pilgrims along the hundreds of miles of collective paths on the Camino, called the "Way."

 

   Since that random meeting on the hiking path, Claire and I have joined a local Camino Chapter of 801 members who have had meaningful experiences walking the many Camino paths across Spain toward Santiago. They are a wealth of information for anyone considering a pilgrimage. We have gone to Camino meetings and hiked with a few of our 801 friends in Arizona. We have introduced our husbands during one hike and introduced another couple to Claire and her husband. 

    She leaves in April to solo walk the Portuguese Camino, and we leave in September to walk our third one, the Camino Ingles, which is a new one for us. 

    

 Now, when Claire and I hike, we talk about her solo Camino plans and I share our past experiences. 

 

    What is the significance of a Camino pilgrimage? The route's origin is synonymous with a religious trek finishing in either Jerusalem, Rome or Santiago, Spain. Pilgrims often start walking in nearby countries and walk for days and months toward their goal city.  Pilgrims can set their own pace and mileage per day. They walk to experience new surroundings, to meet new friends or perhaps to mourn a loss. However, for many, despite their emotions when they begin, the walk becomes a spiritual journey. 

   

     I was hiking solo on that mountain that day, and so was Claire.

My friend is Catholic and I am Baptist, yet we share the common faith that calls so many to walk this spiritual pilgrimage. She is not ashamed of the gospel and neither am I. 

     I did not need to be convinced to continue the hike back to the start of the trailhead. It was a warm day and I had already finished six miles, so walking and talking with someone along the way, only shortened the two miles back down. Her welcomed inquiry resulted in a good friendship. 

   

     Jesus knew who would ask That One Question of Him - He invested in twelve followers who asked, "Where are you staying?" His reply was "Come and See." They asked one question that profoundly brought about a deep spiritual kinship with the Messiah, resulting in surprising and blessed opportunities beyond expectation. They walked with Him. 

    That One Question opened so many unexpected blessings for me. Claire's attention was drawn to a small, yet definable pin on my backpack. From that question, a Christian friendship has developed. 

    Jim and I have That One Question.  Read about it in That One Question: Part 2

   Keep Looking Up!

    J:m and L:nda 

    

    

    

How I Learned About Casual Day Syndrome

An Arizona Hike

      "Casual Day Syndrome" is a term often associated with climbers or hikers who are overconfident on familiar trails or have presumptuous attitudes on new trails. It's a term that defines being too relaxed, or not alert. Casual syndrome isn't only applied to the climber alone. We are not excused just because we aren't adrenaline-pumping sports enthusiasts, such as a mountaineer, a paraglider or a cliff diver. The everyday stroller can have a relaxed attitude of complacency and take a tumble. An experienced driver can give casual day syndrome a ride, and we can assume the results.  

    We can casually trip over the corner of a familiar rug in a familiar location in our familiar home, and break a bone simply because we had walked that way a hundred times. That's casual day syndrome. 

    Casual day syndrome can hijack our talents and skills fitted to us before our first breath. Since God gave them to us, and we expect we will always have them, we can be casual about using them. We might casually claim that it's not necessary to sharpen or improve His talents. We can lose passion for learning and growing and end up forgetting a line, misinterpreting a concept, or missing an exceptional opportunity. 

     Relationships, though intangible, can suffer from casual day syndrome, too, and perhaps do the most damage. "They will always be there," or "I can fix it later,"  or "It wasn't my fault" are those nasty peaks we should attempt to summit, but we aren't interested in putting on cleats. Perhaps you have seen the "Round Tuit" procrastination token that reads, "I'll get around to it." Oddly, rubbing the surface until it has a new dent represents a casual attitude of disregard. If we can, we want to avoid the trailhead, "If Only." 

    Sadly, casual day syndrome can be applied to a relationship with Christ. Many casually approach the familiar trailhead, "There Will Always be Time," yet choose to take the trail which Christ would not. Like climbers who died because they didn't turn around at the point of knowing something wasn't quite right, many will casually rub the Tuit token into eternity, absent of a relationship with Christ. But, can Christ find those who casually ignore Him? Yes. He can. He does not give up on pursuing people. Recall the Parable of the Lost Sheep when Jesus speaks of the shepherd who left his ninety-nine to search for the lost one until he finds it. There is nothing casual about Jesus and His purposes for us. 

    If you have been following our Steppingstone Journey blog for fourteen years, you know we hike a lot, both domestically and internationally. In 2022, I met Casual Day Syndrome personally on the side of a mountain that I had hiked multiple times. I knew this mountain. But that day, I tripped on one of the many granite boulders perched on that trail. I pitched forward and landed full force on an obliging boulder. Ouch! That stung! Later, I was surprised that I had been so overconfident and careless. As a reminder, to this day, the boulder hit left a small indent where the bruise occurred. 

    

What was the lesson I learned as I stepped into the week with a swollen cheek and a puffy, black eye? I had to explain I had become overconfident with familiarity, and that I didn't finish strong. I was too relaxed, too casual. My mind wandered and I wasn't paying attention. 

    Where else have I practiced Casual Day Syndrome? I can name them! I've been back on many mountains many times, and boulders are still there, but I trust my Foothold. Also, I trust Casual Day Syndrome to be an attitude that will try to hitch a hike!

Thank you for reading. Keep Looking Up! 

J:m and L:nda