Brock { Abroad }

I just took  a long bike ride through Rotterdam to say goodbye. I even took some photos of the brute beauty. The train ticket is bought. The bag is packed. I find myself yet again in another moment of movement.

A good friend of mine says that we sometimes confuse ‘nervous’ with ‘excited’. Maybe that is my problem. The fresh air by bike seemed to get some of the nervous energy out. It was a good way to say goodbye to a city that saw me transform in so many ways just as I, too, watched the city transform from 2009 to 2010.

I spent a lot of time these past two weeks decompressing from the past two months that have left me feeling so completely changed. Namely, the Camino de Santiago. I’m trying to keep things simple this year and as I develop my Pasta {projects} (my website) and my Pilgrim{project} (my new life in Amsterdam) I can sum the whole experience up into one object: my pinecone.

I had met a new friend on the Camino by the name of Javier, a Spanish-Tasmanian who changed the course of my pilgrimage by making me see that it did not end in Spain. The first day I met Javier, I was very silent. I was walking with him and another Spanish gentleman he was with, listening intently to a  cranium-bending conversation they were having. After awhile,  I realized that I really didn’t have anything to say and apologized.

“Well, you’re still a part of the conversation even if you’re not speaking,” Javier said.

I looked down at the floor and noticed a very large, fossilized pine cone. It was heavy, reassuring. Smooth to the touch, I passed it palm to palm, left to right. The movement matched my breathing. And my boots against the ground, going step by step. I didn’t know why I first  picked up that pinecone, but it was an almost magnetic reaction that resonated within me.  Soon, I would understand what this pine cone was all about. Soon, I would realize that I was not alone on the path, after all. Soon, everything on the pilgrimage will take a complete change I could have never have seen coming.  (to be continued next Wednesday…)

Three things I will focus on this month:
1) Write for/improve my blog.
2) Adapt to my new life in Amsterdam.
3) Make as many new friends as possible.

Three things I will focus on this week:
1) Meet w/ my friend to help me improve my blog.
2) Post Pasta Project Murcia
3) Attend the first Knowmads workshop in Amsterdam (Jan 6-9)

Considering I’m a pilgrim, I’d thought I’d get a view from the other side…
Seventh Philosophy for the Native American Man – TO MYSELF
I will think about what kind of person I want to be when I am an Elder. I will start developing myself now to be this person.
I will walk with the Great Spirit and the grandfathers at my side. I will develop myself to remain positive. I will develop a good mind.
I will examine myself daily to see what I did good and what I need to improve. I will examine my strengths and weaknesses; then I will ask the Creator to guide me. I will develop a good mind.
Each day, I will listen for the Creator’s voice in the wind. I will watch nature and ask to be shown a lesson which will occur on my path.
I will seek our the guiding principles which guided my ancestors. I will walk in dignity, honor and humility, conducting myself as a warrior.
I will seek the guidance of the Elders so that I may maintain the knowledge of culture, ceremonies and songs, and so that I may pass these on to future generations.
I choose to do all these things myself, because no one else can do them for me.
I know I CANNOT GIVE AWAY WHAT I DON’T HAVE, so I will need to learn to walk the talk.

Related posts:

1. Back in Rotterdam
2. Down and out in Rotterdam: what the Swine Flu taught me…
3. a story of pilgrimage
4. Glimpse, stories from {abroad}.
5. Photo Essay: Rotterdam, Netherlands