Healing Your Wounds on the Pilgrimage Trail

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There are few truly essential things when you set out on a journey, in fact very few: a lightweight backpack and comfortable shoes are enough. But a small first aid kit could also be useful, with a needle, thread, plasters and some cream or medicine as needed. In fact, taking care of injuries or wounds, especially on your feet, is essential if you want to continue with peace of mind, without having to stop or slow down and, of course, to avoid pain.

It is well known that if skin is subjected daily to repeated and regular friction, calluses or blisters can form, which are very annoying and damaging, particularly when you have many kilometres ahead of you. Also tendinitis, strains and sprains can happen with a certain frequency, especially if you have to tackle terrain that is not exactly flat, with climbs and descents and rocky or uneven stretches.

To avoid or prevent this type of problem, some prepare themselves with specific training, others equip themselves with talc, vaseline and gauze to dry or harden the skin just before starting their journey, still others rely on experience or providence and set off without precautions. Whatever attitude you start with, in reality, only by walking will we truly know what adventures or misadventures we will encounter.

Accepting falls and suffering

Whether it is plasters or faith that guides us, what is the same for everyone is that on a walking journey, just as in life itself, falls and suffering are part of the path. Only those who move risk getting hurt, but that is how we reach our destinations, dreams and goals: we learned to walk in order to move forward.

We often complain about the misfortunes that befall us, but if it is true that nothing happens by chance, wounds are also created and arrive for a reason, to show us something that is not working correctly or as a consequence of a rash action: a lesson, then, beyond and despite the pain, to improve, fix, change course.

Even when discomfort is caused by a wrong direction or an unreliable companion, there is a lesson to be learned and an opportunity to grow and gain confidence, overcoming the difficulty.

Just as helping someone who is injured can make us feel good, it can teach us something or help us see people in a different light: small and fragile women who have helped trained and muscular men, shy and awkward young people who have shown composure in the face of a bleeding ankle, bear witness to how much fragility or strength there can be beyond appearances.

Taking care of wounds and moving forward

Every experience is a lesson, but we often experience sad and traumatic events only as misfortunes or impediments, not as opportunities. But what happens when we don't take care of a wound? When we pretend not to see it or try to minimise it by not taking it seriously? It often only gets worse and causes us pain.

Accepting that suffering is part of life can help us overcome all the turmoil caused by the accidents we may encounter on our path: falls, fractures, stumbles, slips, mistakes, worries, responsibilities.

Having confidence in our own abilities is the next step: a solution is always possible, perhaps it won't be immediate and will need time, or perhaps it is right in front of our eyes and we just need to look up to see it, but in any case, wounds need our attention to be healed.

Sometimes to do this we need to take a break and rest, other times we can continue slowly or with the help of a walking stick, but certainly by putting our feet up in the air to breathe and removing some weight from our backpack, we will already feel much better!

Because there comes a time when it is good to ask yourself: what are the wounds I still carry with me? Those that don't allow me to feel free? That force me to stand still? What can I let go of to move forward?

Only by asking the right questions will you be able to find the answers you are looking for …

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