As it was raining in the morning, I took a bus from Puente la Reina to Pamplona. I debated whether this excluded it from the camino or not. I decided it would be part of the camino simply because I was visiting a friend whose name is Alfredo, but whom in my mind and heart I call the sage of Pamplona.
We first met six years ago. I was walking the camino, and I had made a Mexican friend whom asked Alfredo for hosting on Couchsurfing. Alfredo had already replied yes, and my Mexican friend said that he could ask Alfredo if he was cool with hosting me too. I advised him against it, as I've been a Couchsurfing host and I would consider it poor etiquette. My friend waved away my concerns and asked Alfredo anyways. Alfredo said yes, you can bring your friend too.
I'm very glad my advice was ignored, otherwise I would have not met him. He's one of those few people with whom I can relate deeply and authentically, even though the time we've spend together probably totals less than a dozen hours spread over three visits and we don't keep in touch from afar. This was my third time staying at his home which is no longer listed on Couchsurfing, but still open to the friends he made while hosting on this website.
When hosting people, Alfredo would sometimes suggest that you leave a message or drawing on the wall of his kitchen. The drawing was done by yours truly, but the content is a mashup between what my Mexican homesick friend wanted and what I wanted. I think it turned out OK.
Visiting Alfredo was a special way for me to finish this camino. He is a deep listener who allowed me to explain my psychological process on this walk, and thus gain some clarity for myself. I also discovered a facet of him which I completely ignored, as he has two self-published books on Amazon but—as all sages are—he is more interested in knowing more about you rather than letting you know about him. We also found common ground talking about caring for the elderly and dealing with psychological abuse.
As I'm sitting on the train making my way back to Barcelona, I realize that these experiences are not one-off things, I must proactively work against my habits of isolation, of disconnection from myself and others, of separation and inner fragmentation. Or to describe the mirror task: I will work to connect to others and all the parts that live within myself.