Walk in a Relaxed Manner: Sarah Gingerich

     For my final paper, I also read Joyce Rupp’s Walk in a Relaxed Manner: Life Lessons from the Camino, where Rupp reflects on her pilgrimage on the Camino de Santiago. Rupp specifically reflects on the daily practice of “letting go”, discovering that the real challenges of pilgrimage lie in the surrendering of expectations, control, and self-judgement, rather than simply leaving home. Rupp faced a lot of difficulties, such as illness, the overwhelming nature of pilgrimage, and the pressure to appear strong. These experiences forced her to reconsider how expectations of comfort and productivity were not always the healthiest thing for her. By releasing these pressures, Rupp found the Camino to be a space of greater spiritual autonomy than expected. Her insight that “holding on too tightly… deprives oneself of growth” calls out how a lot of us live our lives. 

    I think that learning to let go is really important, and something I work on constantly. It was interesting to see this concept talked about in a pilgrimage context. Learning to let go can mean so many things, such as letting go of difficult moments or letting go of expectations you or others hold up for you. Rupp’s reflection on this was encouraging and a great read! She also touches on other life lessons, but this is the one I focused most on for my paper.

Rupp, Joyce. Walk in a Relaxed Manner: Life Lessons from the Camino. Maryknoll, NY: Orbis Books, 2005.


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