PC# 27 – Happy July 4th!

Posted on July 5, 2013 by Bill Bennett

To all those in North America, happy July 4th!

I hope you all are having a great day – with your families, loved ones, relaxing, going to the movies, watching TV, walking in the woods, training for the Camino, whatever it is you're doing.

Rest days are as important as work days.

Your body and your mind need time out to rejuvenate. To take stock of what you've been doing, what you've achieved, perhaps what you've missed out on, perhaps what you've suffered.

Just as we can't keep going without sleep, nor can we keep going without rest. In sleep we need to dream, in rest we need to contemplate.

I learnt this on the Camino.

Some pilgrims thought it was an achievement to walk to Santiago without taking a rest day. Perhaps physically it was within their capability. But what about spiritually?

Sometimes you need to stop, to let your soul catch up to your body.

23 thoughts on “PC# 27 – Happy July 4th!”

Lynda Lozner on July 5, 2013 at 6:03 am said:

Thanks Bill
Since we are self employed and won’t have an income while on the Camino, we are skipping the fireworks and festivities and working today for extra funds for our trip. Our relaxtion will be to watch “The Way” again tonight (9th time). 40 days to go!!!!

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- pgstheway on July 5, 2013 at 6:10 am said:
  
  Lynda, fabulous!
  
  9th time watching “The Way” – wow.
  
  I wish I had a royalty stream from THAT movie!
  
  😂😂😂😂😂😂
  
  Bill
  
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Sister Simon Clare on July 5, 2013 at 6:10 am said:

Actually, Bill, its not a North American holiday. Only the U.S. celebrates Independance Day on the 4 th. Canada celebrates Dominon Day, or Canada Day, which is our big fireworks etc.celebration, on July 1st. And we do a smaller version than the Americans, who have an expertise in patriotism, it seems.

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- Anonymous on July 5, 2013 at 6:25 am said:
  
  And the Mexicans don’t get too excited about US independence since we took a large chunk from them. But, for a guy that lives on the other side of the world, you did just fine. We knew what you meant and it is the thought that counts.
  
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  - stevelangham on July 5, 2013 at 6:26 am said:
    
    I hate it when wordpress calls me anonymous. I feel so discounted. Steve
    
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    - pgstheway on July 5, 2013 at 6:31 am said:
      
      Steve, change your profile picture to a llama…
      
      😜
      
      Happy Independence Day mate!
      
      Bill
      
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  - pgstheway on July 5, 2013 at 6:29 am said:
    
    Is Mexico regarded as North America?
    
    I didn’t know that.
    
    I know Canada is – and ooops! My apologies to all those Canadians who follow this blog!
    
    It’s like bunching up Australia and New Zealand I guess. We Aussies aren’t too happy with co-joining with fash-n-chup eaters…
    
    Bill
    
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Lynda Lozner on July 5, 2013 at 6:28 am said:

Sister Simon Claire sounds like you are in Canada. What city/province? We are in Seattle.
Lynda and Dale

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- Sister Simon Clare on July 5, 2013 at 6:53 am said:
  
  I’m just outside Westport, a village of seven.hundred (my keyboard numerals aren’t working,)in Ontario. Its about forty five minutes from the border crossing into New York State.
  
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  - Lynda Lozner on July 5, 2013 at 7:32 am said:
    
    We are neighbors! Pretty far apart though for bordering countries!!!
    
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    - Sister Simon Clare on July 5, 2013 at 7:38 am said:
      
      Nah, we just need to stretch a little further!Do you ever travel East in the US?
      
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Debbie on July 5, 2013 at 6:35 am said:

Hi Bill…Thank you very much….back to the celebrating!

Debbie

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Lynda Lozner on July 5, 2013 at 8:09 am said:

Sister Simon Clare
Rarely. After the Camino we are thinking about a small travel trailer and seeing more of our country.

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Barbara Langham on July 5, 2013 at 10:35 am said:

Thanks Bill. And thanks, Canadians, for your tolerance and graciousness when constantly getting lumped in with your rowdy southern neighbors. Hope you to the north had a great Dominion Day and if anyone’s here from the south, I hope Cinco de Mayo was super, too. What does Australia celebrate? Anything similar?

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- Bhasma on July 6, 2013 at 10:12 pm said:
  
  We do celebrate Australia Day, although the indigenous people around the country call it ‘invasion day’, so we still have lots to learn and repair! We also, strangely to some, celebrate ANZAC Day with early morning services by returned service personnel and their families and later marches through cities, towns and villages, again with lots of other people just watching and marveling at the medals! But for HUGE celebrations and fireworks, you’d need to come to Sydney and congregate with the odd 1 or more million people in the vicinity of the Harbour Bridge and the Opera House for New Year’s Eve, and with so many boats on the water that you could practically walk from one side of the harbour to the other without the aide of the bridge!
  
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  - Sister Simon Clare on July 7, 2013 at 12:38 am said:
    
    Canada has the equivalent of yout ANZAC Day in November, called Remembrance Day, and the US version is Veterans Day, I think in the spring (perhaps one of our American family members can correct me here).When you turn on the midnight New Years Eve broadcast here, the first thing they always show is the fireworks in Sydney harbour-because from our point of view,New Years comes to you first!The announcer is always going on about how the Aussies are already at next year.
    
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Karen on July 5, 2013 at 12:18 pm said:

Bill,
Mexico and the rest of Central America is technically part of North America.
We here in the states are willing to celebrate almost any countries’ special days. Cinco de Mayo and St. Patrick’s Day come to mind. I never knew about Canada day until the other day but I’m guessing if it got a little more press that we’d be celebrating that as well. 😉

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pamleiper on July 5, 2013 at 12:53 pm said:

Hi Bill – Looks like you have been corrected on the July 4th business. Yes, Canada celebrated on the 1st:) You are forgiven… (just once:)) I live in Calgary, and this has been quite a traumatic few weeks here. This city suffered huge floods and thousands lost their homes. We were lucky, but an experience like is a perfect reminder as to what is important. Not things…but family, friends, community, good health. Check out Calgary and flooding, and you will see what this city has done to recover. This will be a good meditation for me as I do my camino September, 2014. Thanks for the blog… I’ve been following it religiously, and it has provided amazing insight. I will likely revisit it closer to my camino, when I go shopping for my pack, footwear guides etc.
Thanks for sharing your experience! Pam

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- Anonymous on July 5, 2013 at 2:22 pm said:
  
  Pam, I have been watching the devastating news footage of Calgary. Sending you blessings……
  
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- pgstheway on July 5, 2013 at 8:14 pm said:
  
  Hi Pam, great that you’re finding the blog useful.
  
  Apart from these post Camino discussions, there is some practical stuff in the earlier posts.
  
  Bill
  
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  - Debbie on July 6, 2013 at 12:02 am said:
    
    Hi Pam, I will be doing my Camino September 2014 also! Hope to run into you! I am so sorry about the flooding and isn’t it amazing how people come together during these tragic events! God bless!!
    Debbie
    
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  - pamleiper on July 6, 2013 at 1:19 pm said:
    
    Thanks for the blessings:)
    Hi Debbie – look for two women ‘of a certain age’. lol I’m doing it with my cousin. The husbands will be meeting us in Santiago.
    
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  - pamleiper on July 6, 2013 at 11:47 pm said:
    
    Hi Debbie – keep in touch re the September 2014 camino. Might be useful to share training experiences, packing tips etc. pamleiper@shaw.ca or via FB pamleiper
    
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