You’ve heard the platitudes about being grateful and expressing gratitude, but you’re still not convinced that gratitude matters all that much. I’m here to prove to you how gratitude changes everything.
Hitting the trail
This past fall, I walked another two sections of the Camino de Santiago with my friend Heather Waring of London. We’d walked a section of the Camino in France in April 2017, when I twisted my knee. Since then, I’d changed my diet to eliminate dairy, which positively impacted my whole body, most especially my knees. I felt confident heading out on the trail again.
Our trek began before sunrise on the French-Spanish border in an old walled town called St. Jean Pied de Port. We had nineteen miles to cover that day, most of it uphill over the Pyrenees ending in the old monastery-turned-hotel at Roncevalles.
We trudged along on paved roads devoid of shade. The temperature climbed to ninety-six degrees. The water we guzzled evaporated as sweat. By midday, my feet had swelled enough to create what we hikers call “hot spots,” areas that, if not treated, would likely turn into blisters. Thankfully, I had blister plasters, which I used to cushion the spots.
The mist rolled in just as we entered the forest. A gentle descend on a soft path felt good after the punishing pavement. Dusk fell quicker than our pace, and we hustled to make Roncesvalles before the dinner service concluded. We arrived in time to enjoy quick showers, and a delicious pilgrim meal served with local wine.
Pop Goes the Blister
The second day was just as hot and nearly as long. What goes up must come down, and so we spent most of the day descending. Those hot spots on my heels grew into bona fide blisters, with the one on the right proving to be the worst. About four miles from our destination, we encountered a steep descent on loose shale outcroppings. The footing proved treacherous and slow-going.
It was midway down the shale that I felt the blister on my right foot pop. Knowing if I took my shoe off, I’d never get it back on, I opted to keep walking (really, there was no other choice). On a scale of one-to-ten, the pain ratcheted up to a twelve. Each footstep was agony.
Changing my focus
I realized I had a choice to either focus on the pain, which only amplified it, or focus on gratitude. I started repeating this mantra, “Thank you toes for holding me upright. Thank you feet for taking me all over the world. Thank you, legs. Thank you, knees. Thank you, lungs. Thank you, heart.” After a few rounds, I added, “Thank you blisters for giving me the information I need to be successful.”
That’s when I realized I felt no pain. None. As soon as this realization dawned on me, I immediately became aware again of the sharp, cutting pain in my heel.
“Wow!” I thought. “When I don’t focus on my wound, but instead thank my body for its miraculous work, I felt no pain.” You can imagine that I immediately returned to my mantra, which helped me descend pain–free into Zubiri, Spain.
Going with the Flow
The punishing pace, intense heat, and burst blisters sidelined me for a few days. Rather than walk into Pamplona, we took the bus. My feet had swollen to the point where the only thing I could wear was my sandals. It was in Pamplona that we discovered a shop that had a miracle inside: hydrogen bandages specifically designed for burst blisters. I purchased three boxes!
While I felt disappointed that my body had once again challenged me, I felt incredible gratitude for the slower pace and time for healing. Heather and I explored side streets, churches, and restaurants we otherwise wouldn’t have seen. We followed our itinerary, traveling to each town by bus.
In Logrõno, I decided it was time to purchase different shoes and those, combined with the specialized bandages, are how I continued my Camino journey. (Apparently, I had the wrong shoes completely, and they were a full size too small!) As I walked along in silence each day, I marveled at the power of gratitude, wondering why that simple practice made such a difference.
Science-based gratitude
When I arrived home, I launched into research mode. Turns out, there’s a scientific reason for this switch from intense pain to painless, and it has to do with neurotransmitters. While focused on gratitude, my body released the feel-good chemical called endorphins, which overrode the pain-focused chemicals of serotonin and dopamine.
Talk about a transformative experience! Gratitude not only feels great, but it also changed the chemical composition in my body, so my sense of well-being and joy were heightened. I don’t know about you, but I’m leaning into this knowledge!
