Monday 14 March 2011

Pilgrim's progress


Back in a soggy Moratinos after a brief stagger along the Camino between Astorga and Ponferrada. No more than about 34-odd miles in an afternoon, a full day and a morning. But Toad did manage to get lost up a mountain outside Molinaseca, which was exciting.
By the time he had scrambled down a virtual precipice, his little green toad legs had turned to jelly.


But most of it was a good experience. Toad decided to do this because a great friend of his was gravely ill. On the second day, more or less as Toad was musing on the eternal verities at the Cruz de Ferro, his friend died, it seems.


This got Toad brooding on souls. And it struck him that that was what Lewis Carroll was about when he has the Cheshire Cat fade away - leaving only a disembodied grin, a soul, in fact.
That's what happens to us all. We fade away. Maybe we leave a grin, maybe not.


There must be an awful lot of disembodied grins in Japan right now.


Toad did look in at Manjarin, but Tomas was not there. Not even his grin, as far as Toad could see. Probably off somewhere seeking the Grail, or beheading someone with his mystical sword.


Watching the footage from Japan in various bars, it struck Toad that it will be futile to make any more 'disaster' movies. The whole planet is a disaster movie these days. Probably always was, but now we can be sure that every act of God (and there are plenty) will be captured on video and served up piping hot within minutes.


Ain't life grand?


And Toad got to wondering if there were earthquakes in the Garden of Eden. If not, it seems a bit of an extreme reaction to eating a pokey little apple.



But, we must suppose God knows what He's doing.

4 comments:

Gareth Thomas said...

Well, that is indeed progress, pilgrim. You are keeping prayerful silence?

Patrick O'Gara said...

No, I wrote a blog, and then lost it ina nano second. Am psyching myself up to re-write.

Laura said...

I'm sorry for the loss of your friend, but pleased that you took some time for reflection in his honor.

FrereRabit said...

Ah, my last comment seems to have come up as the real me... Never mind. I'll carry on pretending to be a monastic rabit and I'm sure nobody will notice, or care, or put me in a stew.

Glad to see you are home safe and sound. How on earth do you get lost descending to Molinaseca, Toad? I take it that you did not have a swim at the bridge in Molinaseca in the present weather. In the summer it is great to arrive there, hot and sweaty from the mountains, and dive into freezing cold water before eating a menu peregrino at the restaurant on the far side of the bridge.

Anyway, Japan's tidal wave, earthquake and nuclear disaster is nothing. If you want see an apocalyptic scenario, go on a school trip. I took 26 twelve year olds on a trip to a museum yesterday. nothing can beat it.