I did not sleep very well last night. A combination of a bed that just was not comfortable and a room that was a little to warm for me. I will get over it. I'm on my way to breakfast.
It's the usual, that's all I will say with one exception. Today the coffee is not very good. I will pass and just get something at my first stop, Gonzar, which is about five miles from my starting point.
The first two miles are where all of the days walking challenges will be. After the elevation change which is up about 900 feet, the Camino will be flat and in good condition. The weather is perfect, a little cloud cover, a slight breeze and plenty of shade make for what I think is the easiest day yet. Yes, I know fifteen miles is difficult but trust me fifteen in these conditions is much better than six on a difficult trail.
I am in the lobby trying to download email and send the Stage 30 post because the wifi only works in the lobby. As I am trying to get that accomplished I am sitting in the lobby looking at the map for today's walk. I am interested in trying to determine if there are any surprise turns or more than one trail. Yes, I know exactly what you are all saying right now .... Jim's reading a map, this could be trouble.
You are correct. I have proven that I am not to be trusted with a map. It has given me a new found level of respect for the work being performed by that woman in the dashboard of my car.
That reminds me, I have a person in my iPad Mini who is starting to get under my skin. He or she was hired by Steve Jobs to guess what word I am trying to type. It bugs me. You know, you type in the first two letters of a word and he or she just takes a guess and slips in a word. Annoying. I will admit that there are many occasions where the word is the same I am trying to type and that does help out.
I don't know who this person is in my Mini but I do know this. He or she never won a spelling bee.
Speaking of spelling this reminds me of one of the best Management moments of my career. I'm sorry but when you are walking for more than six hours like I was today these things do pop into your head.
Here is what happened. It was the mid 80's and I was traveling constantly. I just returned to the office after a road trip and my assistant is filling me in on what I missed while I was gone. She says to me "we have a problem". Ok tell me what it is.
Jan tells me that David, a young man on the sales desk has developed a habit of calling in sick on Mondays when I am away and it's causing problems with phone coverage. Ok , I'll take care of it. I call David into my office and we have a conversation. That would be a BC Jim conversation where I do all of the talking and he just listens. I tell Jan our problem has been fixed.
About two or three weeks later I fly to the west coast on Sunday so I can be with customers on Monday morning. I call the next morning to see if I have any messages and Jan brings me up to speed and then says "David's not in today". You can't be serious.
I asked if he called in sick and so help me she says "no, he called in and said he was tired"! What I said next was an immediate response, immediate.
"Jan I want you to drop everything you have planned for today and find David, get him on the phone, tell him you spoke to me and then tell him Jim said, get a piece of paper and a pencil and write down the word TIRED and change the first letter to F"! Brilliant. Simply brilliant. Come on, you have to agree that was pretty good.
Who said you can't have fun at work. I think Jan actually liked it more than I did. I wonder if David is still tired ?
Back to the Camno. As I already said, it's a beautiful day. I am making such good time that I find myself telling me to slow down. There is absolutely no reason for going to fast. I left Portomarin at 10:00 and will arrive at 4:15, that includes stops where I have a bite to eat and give the passengers some airtime.
Say hello to Tilley the talker. I am on the Camino and all is good. I can hear her behind me. She is a good distance back but I can hear her like she is standing next to me. She never takes a breath! It's constant. I am not walking with her but I am on the verge of a headache. I cannot believe what the guy she is with must be going through. It's so bad that I decide to take a break and let them pass. They are not wearing backpacks or carring anything so they should be faster. I stop and take off my backpack. She is talking non-stop all he way to me and for as far as I can see once they pass me. The Camino is quite, she apparently did not get the memo. Tilley the Talker, that's the name I give her and I will see her again three more times today and each time she will be talking without interruption. This guy is either a saint or he is deaf.
The balance of my walk today in Stage 31 is uneventful. No detours. My walk today will be about six and a half hours.
Now, the Stones. I will have seven to be placed at the Mount Joy, Monte de Gozo, a monument commerating the visit of Pope John Paul the second from which the Cathedral towers can be seen. It will be that moment when I know that I have arrived in Santiago.
The seven stones. First, there will be one stone simply marked with "THE LIST". It represents all of those who I have on my "list" which dates back more than fifty years, started on the day my Granfather died when I was about 15 years old. The list has grown as a list of this kind will. I have it memorized. This stone will be for all on the "list".
Each of those for whom I will place a single stone are also on the list. They are: My parents, my brother Bobby, my sister Susan, Robin's father and Clara, Bill's Mother. Beth understands the list and I know she will like the idea.
As I am walking along I am looking at individual stones which I think will represent all seven. Once I have selected and marked them I will send a photo to Robin to distribute among family. The picture of Clara's stone will be sent directly to Bill and Beth.
The markings on the stones won't last very long but the idea will last forever.
One last comment before I go. I opened Amanda's envelope and it was just the icing on the cake for what has been a really great day. With that I will say good night. Thanks for joining me, I will be there soon.
Tomorrow I walk to Ribadiso, a walk of 16 miles. Just three Stages remain. I'm close, really close. Good night.
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