September 26, 2022
“Walk with the wise and become wise, for a companion of fools suffers harm.”
~ Proverbs 13:20 NIV
I wasn’t looking for wisdom about walking the Camino from the daily Brain Game calendar that Rod gave me as a gift. But it just so happens that Friday’s challenge was to decipher a quotation from Romeo and Juliet that contained 10 words and began with a two-letter word starting with a consonant and ending with a vowel. I failed to decipher the quote. I surrendered yesterday, turned the page over for the solution and found these words: “Go wisely and slowly. Those who rush stumble and fall.” (William Shakespeare, Romeo and Juliet)
I figured I better pay attention since this time next week Rod and I will be exploring Leon, Spain with our Camino companions after an orientation with our guides. The next day we will begin our trek in earnest. I’m not wise in the ways of Shakespeare but am wise enough to recognize that the word ‘wisdom seems to pop up a lot in the Bible. I did a bit of research, and it just so happens that ‘wise’, ‘wiser,’ wisest’, wisely’, and ‘wisdom’ occur over 500 times in the Bible.
Eleven years ago, I participated in a two-night camel trek in the Sinai escorted by several Bedouin guides. As we were preparing for the first day’s trek on camels, I asked our guide a question, “How many miles will we go today?” His reply blew away all my assumptions related to mileage and time. He said, “We will ride until it is time for morning tea. Then we will ride until it is time for lunch. And after a rest, we will ride to our next camp for the night.” Time and miles were irrelevant in the Sinai. What mattered was pacing ourselves, taking advantage of shade behind rocks to rest, and above all, learning a bit of wisdom about the Sinai from those far wiser than us.
Go wisely and slowly. ~ Anne
Wayfinding 