{"id":107,"date":"2016-07-27T16:39:43","date_gmt":"2016-07-27T21:39:43","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/santiagoinlove.com\/en\/?p=107"},"modified":"2021-05-21T05:42:17","modified_gmt":"2021-05-21T10:42:17","slug":"overcome-5-fears-walk-alone","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/santiagoinlove.com\/en\/overcome-5-fears-walk-alone\/","title":{"rendered":"Walking alone: 5 fears about it and how to get over them"},"content":{"rendered":"<p style=\"text-align: justify;\"><strong>Walking alone. Just hearing this is frightening&#8230; <\/strong>No need to try and deny it, I can see you shivering and sweating bullets on your keyboard! One can always find&nbsp;<strong>a whole lot of good reasons no to walk alone<\/strong>. Yet, solitary travel is an incredibly rich experience.&nbsp;<strong>As for myself, I looooove to walk alone!<\/strong>&nbsp;Luckily enough&nbsp;for me, because I started&nbsp;<em>each&nbsp;<\/em>Way of mine started solo!<\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: justify;\"><strong>Walk alone, something absolutely worth trying<\/strong>. Even for a few&nbsp;kilometers only (or a few hours, for the bravest ones!). And to convince you to give it a try, here&#8217;s a <span style=\"color: #ff6600;\"><strong>list of 5 fears that keep you&nbsp;in a pack<\/strong><\/span>, followed by <span style=\"color: #0000ff;\"><strong>5 reasons to get over it and leave&nbsp;your mates<\/strong><\/span>!<\/p>\n<p><!--more--><\/p>\n<p><img loading=\"lazy\" class=\"aligncenter wp-image-109 \" title=\"Walking alone on the Plata Way\" src=\"http:\/\/santiagoinlove.com\/en\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/3\/2016\/07\/2011-desert-solitaire.jpg\" alt=\"walking alone via plata\" width=\"605\" height=\"340\" srcset=\"https:\/\/santiagoinlove.com\/en\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/3\/2016\/07\/2011-desert-solitaire.jpg 712w, https:\/\/santiagoinlove.com\/en\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/3\/2016\/07\/2011-desert-solitaire-300x169.jpg 300w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 605px) 100vw, 605px\" \/><\/p>\n<h2><span style=\"color: #000000;\">No 1: &#8220;But&#8230; <span style=\"color: #ff0000;\">I&#8217;d risk my neck<\/span>&nbsp;if I were to walk&nbsp;alone!&#8221;<\/span><\/h2>\n<figure id=\"attachment_112\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-112\" style=\"width: 162px\" class=\"wp-caption alignleft\"><img loading=\"lazy\" class=\"wp-image-112 size-medium\" title=\"Pilgrim's danger ahead\" src=\"http:\/\/santiagoinlove.com\/en\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/3\/2016\/07\/Attention-pelerin-162x300.jpg\" alt=\"danger pilgrim\" width=\"162\" height=\"300\" srcset=\"https:\/\/santiagoinlove.com\/en\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/3\/2016\/07\/Attention-pelerin-162x300.jpg 162w, https:\/\/santiagoinlove.com\/en\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/3\/2016\/07\/Attention-pelerin.jpg 271w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 162px) 100vw, 162px\" \/><figcaption id=\"caption-attachment-112\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">Dangerous pilgrim or pilgrim in danger?<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p style=\"text-align: justify;\">Alright, <span style=\"color: #ff6600;\"><strong>zero risk doesn&#8217;t exist<\/strong><\/span>. But let&#8217;s be honest and realistic: the truth is, <span style=\"color: #0000ff;\"><strong>zero risk doesn&#8217;t exist<em>&nbsp;at all<\/em><\/strong><\/span>! The world has never been a safe place and incidentally, living neither. <strong>Anything can happen anywhere<\/strong>, but the relative &nbsp;safety in our countries tends to make us forget about it.&nbsp;Of course, given&nbsp;the tragic events that come one after another these years, this isn&#8217;t so true anymore&#8230;&nbsp;But, despite&nbsp;<strong><span style=\"color: #ff6600;\">terrorism<\/span><\/strong>, <strong><span style=\"color: #0000ff;\">France and Spain still are safer countries<\/span><\/strong>&nbsp;than Syria or Colombia and&nbsp;<strong><span style=\"color: #0000ff;\">their country-sides still are peaceful<\/span><\/strong>. Let&#8217;s knock on wood and scallops to make&nbsp;this peace&nbsp;last long!<\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: justify;\">Then, of course,&nbsp;<span style=\"color: #ff6600;\"><strong>traveling solo&nbsp;means taking a chance<\/strong><\/span>. But<span style=\"color: #0000ff;\"><strong>&nbsp;not a bigger one than traveling in general<\/strong><\/span>&nbsp;or getting out of your house. Traveling alone means to be&nbsp;<strong>entirely&nbsp;<\/strong><b>responsible<\/b>&nbsp;of whatever happens, bad or good. The solitary traveler is a <strong>lucid and thoughtful person<\/strong>, who&nbsp;<strong>acts with conscience and&nbsp;caution<\/strong>: he&nbsp;<strong><span style=\"color: #0000ff;\">prevents&nbsp;trouble and accidents<\/span><\/strong>. And when trouble comes anyways, he&nbsp;<strong>already anticipated solutions<\/strong>&nbsp;and knows how to deal with it. (In general, <strong>with calm<\/strong>.)<\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: justify;\">Finally,<span style=\"color: #0000ff;\"><strong>&nbsp;Saint James&#8217; routes are&nbsp;preserved <\/strong><\/span>and if an&nbsp;<span style=\"color: #ff6600;\"><strong>accident<\/strong><\/span>&nbsp;can always happen,<span style=\"color: #0000ff;\"><strong>&nbsp;walking is a low-risk activity.&nbsp;<\/strong><\/span>Two very good reasons to believe <strong><span style=\"color: #0000ff;\">wise pilgrims are not in mortal danger on the Camino<\/span><\/strong>. Add a third one:<span style=\"color: #0000ff;\"><strong> Saint James reallly is watching over us!<\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n<h3 style=\"text-align: center;\"><strong><span style=\"color: #008000;\">Your neck is quite safe on the Way. &nbsp;If you&#8217;re reckless, prefer rough areas like the sea ice, war zones or <em>favelas<\/em> by night.<\/span><\/strong><\/h3>\n<h2>No 2: &#8220;But if something still happens to me, <span style=\"color: #ff0000;\">I&#8217;ll perish&nbsp;alone and forgotten&#8230;<\/span>&#8220;<\/h2>\n<p style=\"text-align: justify;\">To end up&nbsp;<strong style=\"color: #ff6600;\">surviving in<\/strong><strong><span style=\"color: #ff6600;\">&nbsp;extreme&nbsp;environment and dying away from&nbsp;civilization&nbsp;<\/span><\/strong>is the solitary traveler&#8217;s nightmare. That being said and unless one is audacious, looks for trouble or is literally cursed, <span style=\"color: #0000ff;\"><strong>it truly is really really really really<\/strong><\/span>&nbsp;(&#8230; should I keep going?) <span style=\"color: #0000ff;\"><strong>unlikely to &nbsp;happen on the Way<\/strong><\/span>!<\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: justify;\">The routes&nbsp;are quite safe:&nbsp;<strong><span style=\"color: #ff6600;\">dangerous sections<\/span><\/strong>&nbsp;are&nbsp;<strong><span style=\"color: #0000ff;\">rare, known and&nbsp;pointed out<\/span><\/strong>. In general, they are situated in the mountains or along the roads. Pilgrims are warned about it before they reach them, by guide-books, locals and signs. As for dying in an&nbsp;<span style=\"color: #ff6600;\"><strong>remote wild area<\/strong><\/span>, it necessarily implies a wild area <em>and<\/em>&nbsp;wide isolation&#8230; Despite the many amazing bits of preserved wilderness,&nbsp;<span style=\"color: #0000ff;\"><strong>such places don&#8217;t quite exist anymore in France or Spain<\/strong><\/span>. Civilization is everywhere, shrinking remote areas to almost nothing.&nbsp;Moreover, the Way is more and more popular.&nbsp;<strong>The main paths are even so&nbsp;(over)populated<\/strong>&nbsp;that such inconveniences are&nbsp;<span style=\"color: #0000ff;\"><strong>totally impossible<\/strong><\/span>&nbsp;during the high season. <span style=\"color: #0000ff;\"><strong>Tricky sections are under close surveillance<\/strong>&nbsp;<\/span>and&nbsp;<span style=\"color: #0000ff;\"><strong>extended isolation is non-existent<\/strong><\/span><strong><span style=\"color: #0000ff;\"><span style=\"color: #000000;\">.<\/span><\/span><\/strong><\/p>\n<figure id=\"attachment_113\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-113\" style=\"width: 450px\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\"><img loading=\"lazy\" class=\"wp-image-113 \" title=\"Pilgrim's advice\" src=\"http:\/\/santiagoinlove.com\/en\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/3\/2016\/07\/Marche-arriere.jpg\" alt=\"back off\" width=\"450\" height=\"214\" srcset=\"https:\/\/santiagoinlove.com\/en\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/3\/2016\/07\/Marche-arriere.jpg 500w, https:\/\/santiagoinlove.com\/en\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/3\/2016\/07\/Marche-arriere-300x143.jpg 300w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 450px) 100vw, 450px\" \/><figcaption id=\"caption-attachment-113\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">&#8220;Walk back&#8221; : learn to see signs&#8230; and follow their advice!<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p style=\"text-align: justify;\">Again, the solitary traveler is thoughtful and anticipates trouble. But&nbsp;<strong><span style=\"color: #ff6600;\">when something happens to him on a Saint James<\/span><\/strong>, he knows that most of the time, he&#8217;ll get&nbsp;<span style=\"color: #0000ff;\"><strong>help with the pilgrims who <em>will<\/em> arrive before long<\/strong><\/span>.<\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: justify;\">And then, seriously, <span style=\"color: #0000ff;\"><strong>who is still traveling without a cell-phone?<\/strong><\/span>&nbsp;I never met a completely disconnected pilgrim on the Way. And even this kind of person would be able to <strong>borrow one<\/strong>&nbsp;from the first pilgrim passing by and <strong>have<\/strong>&nbsp;<strong>enough signal<\/strong>&nbsp;to call for help, even if in the middle of nowhere.<\/p>\n<h3 style=\"text-align: center;\"><span style=\"color: #008000;\">On the Way, you are never alone enough to die by yourself if something happens. To achieve&nbsp;this kind of goal, prefer Alaska. Or Siberia. Sahara, the Amazon rain-forest, the North Pole! Well, elsewhere than the Camino!<\/span><\/h3>\n<h2>No 3: &#8220;<span style=\"color: #ff0000;\"><span style=\"color: #000000;\">But<\/span>&nbsp;I&#8217;m a woman<\/span>, a weak and fragile prey in this ruthless&nbsp;world&#8230;&#8221;<\/h2>\n<p style=\"text-align: justify;\">Ouch,&nbsp;<strong>poor&nbsp;<del>you<\/del>&nbsp;us!<\/strong>&nbsp;Obviously,<span style=\"color: #ff6600;\"><strong>&nbsp;the weaker&nbsp;sex should better stay safely at home<\/strong><\/span>! I can already hear everyone booing me&#8230; Alright,<strong>&nbsp;I&#8217;m making a provocative statement here<\/strong>&nbsp;and I admit in our societies, women have a quite free and enjoyable life. Still!&nbsp;<strong>If women who travel <em>sola<\/em>&nbsp;are much admired and men who do the same are not, it&#8217;s because people essentially see women elsewhere than on the road.<\/strong>&nbsp;One must be blind (or a man?) to think gender&nbsp;equality exists.&nbsp;<strong>Inequalities are less evident&nbsp;<\/strong>in westernized countries, but undermining-dynamics are in fact&nbsp;<strong>more insidious<\/strong>&nbsp;there. I&#8217;m not a feminist or even bitter, but&nbsp;<strong>I stopped counting women I met who really had imprinted within this concept&nbsp;of weaker sex <\/strong>&#8230; And you,<span style=\"color: #008000;\"><strong><span style=\"color: #0000ff;\">&nbsp;do <em>you<\/em> believe in it?<\/span><span style=\"color: #000000;\">&nbsp;<\/span><\/strong><\/span><span style=\"color: #0000ff;\"><strong>Do you really think you&#8217;re less able than a man? Will you let an archaic concept define who you are?<\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n<figure id=\"attachment_108\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-108\" style=\"width: 300px\" class=\"wp-caption alignright\"><img loading=\"lazy\" class=\"wp-image-108 size-medium\" title=\"Ruthless brutes? Considerate gentlemen!\" src=\"http:\/\/santiagoinlove.com\/en\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/3\/2016\/07\/2010-Groupe-300x225.jpg\" alt=\"nice group primitivo\" width=\"300\" height=\"225\" srcset=\"https:\/\/santiagoinlove.com\/en\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/3\/2016\/07\/2010-Groupe-300x225.jpg 300w, https:\/\/santiagoinlove.com\/en\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/3\/2016\/07\/2010-Groupe.jpg 500w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 300px) 100vw, 300px\" \/><figcaption id=\"caption-attachment-108\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">Ruthless brutes? Considerate gentlemen!<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p style=\"text-align: justify;\"><strong>Men and women are different, it&#8217;s a fact and it&#8217;s for the best<\/strong>. We complete each other, but in substance, we are the same:<strong>&nbsp;<span style=\"color: #ff6600;\">if the world is harsh<\/span><\/strong>,&nbsp;<strong><span style=\"color: #0000ff;\">it is harsh for all of us<\/span><\/strong>. Men too sometimes have a cold sweat when they get out of their houses!&nbsp;Their advantage is that for now,&nbsp;<span style=\"color: #ff6600;\"><strong>male values prevail<\/strong><\/span>: no wonder they have an easier time!<\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: justify;\"><strong>So, if you hope to get permission to act according to your idea in a world where men&#8217;s rule is might, you can always wait.<\/strong>&nbsp;A man who travels around the world is an <em>adventurer<\/em>, a woman who does the same is&nbsp;<em>reckless<\/em>. Please also note that, whatever is being said,&nbsp;<span style=\"color: #0000ff;\"><strong>the world also belongs to women<\/strong><span style=\"color: #000000;\">.<\/span><\/span> Feminists and female adventurer from the past gained their rights and the respect of the world by being quite pig-headed.&nbsp;<strong>Kiss your principles goodbye, forget about gossips and <span style=\"color: #0000ff;\">hit the road to enjoy the wold: the world will enjoy the new you in return!<\/span><\/strong><\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: justify;\">That being said,<strong style=\"color: #000000;\">&nbsp;the she-traveler is <em>not<\/em> a&nbsp;scatterbrain.<\/strong> She does travel, but she is&nbsp;<strong style=\"color: #000000;\">highly aware of realities<\/strong>. Alone or accompanied, she&nbsp;<strong>keeps a cold head, uses her intuition, is even more&nbsp;vigilant&nbsp;and cautious<\/strong>. From this point of view, the Way is<strong><span style=\"color: #0000ff;\">&nbsp;a great and ideal destination for a first experience solo&nbsp;<\/span><\/strong>(or an easygoing relapse)! You will have the <strong>challenges of a solitary travel and your<\/strong><strong>&nbsp;convictions will be put to the test, but all in <span style=\"color: #0000ff;\">a kind and secure environment<\/span>.<\/strong><\/p>\n<h3 style=\"text-align: center;\"><span style=\"color: #008000;\">Ladies and&#8230; Ladies, the Way is the perfect place to tame your education and your fears. Hesitate no more and walk alone! Then, if the weaker sex role suits you&#8230; prefer to cook scallops rather than taking them out on your bag!<\/span><\/h3>\n<h2>No 4: &#8220;I need company or <span style=\"color: #ff0000;\">I&#8217;ll undoubtedly get bored<\/span>!&#8221;<\/h2>\n<p style=\"text-align: justify;\">We are so&nbsp;<strong>used to run everywhere&nbsp;<\/strong>and to <strong>battle on all fronts<\/strong>&nbsp;that once cleared of all of our duties, we just have one wish: not to do anything! This is what we usually call<strong>&nbsp;week-end or holidays<\/strong>: a time (ideally) made to take.a.rest! But once we&#8217;ve regained some energy and after some quiet time,&nbsp;<strong><span style=\"color: #ff6600;\">time seems to be deadly long and empty<\/span><\/strong>. Boredom in all its might! <em>This<\/em>&nbsp;is usually when we look for anything to fill our schedule up, with friends or various activities.&nbsp;Even if we complain never&nbsp;to have enough of it, <strong>we actually don&#8217;t like down-time and we have a real hard time dealing with it<\/strong>. Hence our urge&nbsp;for bustle and company.&nbsp;<strong>Or even to go back to work when we&#8217;ve had enough!<\/strong><\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: justify;\">To get bored while traveling is possible <strong>if we see it as a tour operator break<\/strong>. We go on this kind of trip to don nothing and we end up &#8230; doing nothing! And to be bored: we then subscribe to any activities and enjoy constant company, before we come back tired but happy to have filled the vacation up. Then of course, <strong>the Way seems at first to be just like this cycle of stasis-boredom<\/strong>. Don&#8217;t we go to <span style=\"color: #ff6600;\"><strong>walk and nothing else<\/strong><\/span>?&nbsp;<span style=\"color: #ff6600;\"><strong>No fancy or entertaining activities: the only parry left is company<\/strong><\/span>.<\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: justify;\">Yet, it is possible to <strong><span style=\"color: #0000ff;\">learn and&nbsp;appreciate&nbsp;the absence of hustle and bustle<\/span><\/strong>&nbsp;and<strong><span style=\"color: #0000ff;\">&nbsp;like to be alone without being bored<\/span><\/strong><span style=\"color: #0000ff;\"><strong>!<\/strong><\/span>&nbsp;The Way is <strong>a nice and unique way to manage it<\/strong>. Walking may be the only thing to do, but just this&nbsp;<span style=\"color: #0000ff;\"><strong>is enough to be busy for hours<\/strong><\/span>. One only has to <span style=\"color: #0000ff;\"><strong>be fully present to unravel the worlds that are so close by.<\/strong><\/span><span style=\"color: #0000ff;\"><strong>&nbsp;<\/strong><\/span><strong><span style=\"color: #0000ff;\">What is around us<\/span><\/strong>, first: fauna, flora, the 1001 details of a landscape changing with every step, silence, the murmur of the Universe&nbsp;and sometimes its soul.<\/p>\n<figure id=\"attachment_110\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-110\" style=\"width: 1024px\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\"><img loading=\"lazy\" class=\"wp-image-110 size-large\" title=\"Scenic view on the Arles Way in France\" src=\"http:\/\/santiagoinlove.com\/en\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/3\/2016\/07\/2015-Panno-StGuilhem-1024x196.jpg\" alt=\"way of arles\" width=\"1024\" height=\"196\" srcset=\"https:\/\/santiagoinlove.com\/en\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/3\/2016\/07\/2015-Panno-StGuilhem-1024x196.jpg 1024w, https:\/\/santiagoinlove.com\/en\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/3\/2016\/07\/2015-Panno-StGuilhem-300x58.jpg 300w, https:\/\/santiagoinlove.com\/en\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/3\/2016\/07\/2015-Panno-StGuilhem-768x147.jpg 768w, https:\/\/santiagoinlove.com\/en\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/3\/2016\/07\/2015-Panno-StGuilhem.jpg 1043w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px\" \/><figcaption id=\"caption-attachment-110\" class=\"wp-caption-text\"><strong>*Yawwwwwwning*<\/strong> Wow&#8230; what a boring landscape!<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p style=\"text-align: justify;\"><strong><span style=\"color: #0000ff;\">What we are<\/span><\/strong><span style=\"color: #000000;\">, next: a wonderful machine we almost look at for the first time, realizing we&#8217;ve never really paid it a close attention.&nbsp;<\/span><strong><span style=\"color: #0000ff;\">Who we are <em>within<\/em><\/span><\/strong>, finally: a whole universe we carry at all time, one we can never be done exploring!<\/p>\n<h3 style=\"text-align: center;\"><span style=\"color: #008000;\">The Camino, an awesome way to walk&nbsp;alone and to like it, without the need to have any company or bustle. To get bored, have your&nbsp;holidays&nbsp;elsewhere!<\/span><\/h3>\n<h2>No 5: &#8220;<span style=\"color: #ff0000;\">I&#8217;m afraid to be with myself<\/span>, this frightening and unknown stranger&#8230;&#8221;<\/h2>\n<p style=\"text-align: justify;\">Ohoh! Here&#8217;s a deeper argument than the others&#8230; Because, yes, to&nbsp;<strong>walk alone means to be one&#8217;s own company<\/strong>. Trouble is,&nbsp;<strong>we usually don&#8217;t take the time to spend it with ourselves<\/strong>&nbsp;without interference. So the day we finally stick our noses within ourselves, there&#8217;s one reaction to have: <span style=\"color: #ff6600;\"><strong>cry out<\/strong><\/span> <strong><span style=\"color: #ff6600;\">&#8220;My Lord, what a f&#8212;reaking mess in here!&#8221; and quickly&nbsp;run away.<\/span><\/strong>&nbsp;Anything&#8217;s better: work, fun, music, movies, reading, friends, phone&#8230;&nbsp;<strong>Our whole social universe help us ensure a overloaded schedule to avoid any down-time!&nbsp;<span style=\"color: #0000ff;\">Too bad, because under the first layer(s!) of mess is actually&nbsp;a truly charming person who awaits to be met<\/span><\/strong>&#8230;<\/p>\n<figure id=\"attachment_111\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-111\" style=\"width: 200px\" class=\"wp-caption alignleft\"><img loading=\"lazy\" class=\"wp-image-111 \" title=\"My shadow on the way\" src=\"http:\/\/santiagoinlove.com\/en\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/3\/2016\/07\/2105-Ombre-225x300.jpg\" alt=\"shadow\" width=\"200\" height=\"267\" srcset=\"https:\/\/santiagoinlove.com\/en\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/3\/2016\/07\/2105-Ombre-225x300.jpg 225w, https:\/\/santiagoinlove.com\/en\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/3\/2016\/07\/2105-Ombre.jpg 360w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 200px) 100vw, 200px\" \/><figcaption id=\"caption-attachment-111\" class=\"wp-caption-text\"><strong>Meet your inner friend<\/strong> who awaits in your shadow <strong>and have a ball together!<\/strong><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p>To end up alone with ourselves after a so long time to avoid our own company is&nbsp;<strong>a bit like entering a huge house that has not been maintained for years<\/strong>. Before one can enjoy it, <span style=\"color: #ff6600;\"><strong>one first has to tidy and clean it up: there&#8217;s nothing fancy about that<\/strong><\/span>, let&#8217;s admit it&#8230; Yet, to chose <strong>to postpone cleaning&nbsp;is to ensure more dust and mess to come<\/strong>. Thankfully, just like any housework, once the sleeves are rolled up and the work has started, <span style=\"color: #000000;\"><strong><span style=\"color: #0000ff;\">the disaster often reveals to be way less catastrophic than&nbsp;<\/span><\/strong><\/span><span style=\"color: #0000ff;\"><b>foreseen<\/b><\/span>. By taking care of one thing at the time, restoration moves on. Of course, <span style=\"color: #ff6600;\"><strong>some tasks are quite unpleasant or even painful<\/strong><\/span>, but&nbsp;<strong><span style=\"color: #0000ff;\">they really get better once taken care of and matters purified<\/span><\/strong><span style=\"color: #0000ff;\">.<\/span><\/p>\n<p>Being alone on the Way&#8217;s gracious environment is&nbsp;<strong><span style=\"color: #0000ff;\">a chance to do your inner cleansing&nbsp;in pretty favorable conditions<\/span><\/strong>. <span style=\"color: #0000ff;\"><strong>Walking helps it<\/strong><\/span>: <strong>the body&#8217;s movement is a reflection of the mind&#8217;s&nbsp;movement<\/strong>, towards the new, ahead.&nbsp;<span style=\"color: #0000ff;\"><strong>Being alone then becomes a pleasure rather than a chore<\/strong><\/span>, a nice time&nbsp;one will soon come to seek! Moreover, getting in touch with your inner self is much easier and faster than trying to manage a hellish schedule.&nbsp;<strong><span style=\"color: #0000ff;\">To rediscover ourselves as a pleasant friend<\/span><\/strong>&nbsp;rather than a frightful stranger truly is&nbsp;<strong><span style=\"color: #0000ff;\">one of the neatest gift some&nbsp;solitude of the Way can offer you<\/span><\/strong>&#8230;<\/p>\n<h3 style=\"text-align: center;\"><span style=\"color: #008000;\">The Way is an opportunity to purify your inner self and make yourself your best ally&#8230; if alone to make it happen. Would you let fear of solitude keep you from&nbsp;meeting the true love of your life?<\/span><\/h3>\n<p style=\"text-align: justify;\">So! <strong>What say you?<\/strong>&nbsp;If you&#8217;re not too sure about going solo, remember: it&nbsp;is mostly <strong>your own decision<\/strong>! The Camino is a <strong>safe and protected<\/strong> place, there are <strong>always<\/strong> <strong>people around<\/strong> so you can be alone without being alone and &nbsp;there is <strong>no need to go solo<\/strong>&nbsp;<em><strong>all<\/strong> <strong>the time<\/strong><\/em>. If walking alone seems to be a crazy idea to you,&nbsp;<strong>trust me on this one<\/strong>: it&#8217;s actually a <em>good<\/em>&nbsp;one&nbsp;and an unspeakable experience.<\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: justify;\">Have you ever felt <strong>at home <em>anywhere<\/em><\/strong> in the World? <strong>So blessed and watched over you knew&nbsp;angels were walking by your side<\/strong>?&nbsp;<strong>Such freedom and such bond to the World you body seemed to dissolve into the Universe<\/strong>? Have you ever felt your heart filled up with<strong> such love and gratitude that you couldn&#8217;t stop crying<\/strong>? Solitude and silence are ways to get there&#8230; Ways for anyone to reach!<\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: justify;\">Solitude is not to be feared, it is a gracious state. Objections&nbsp;are to be heard, they are the voice of our fears. Fears are to be soothed with love, they can then&nbsp;lead us to peace.<strong> Whenever you&#8217;ll be ready, I assure you, it really is&nbsp;worth it!<\/strong><\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: center;\"><strong>Now, let us share some thoughts!&nbsp;Being alone, bad time or pleasure? Ready or not quite? Done or avoided? Did this article make you feel like trying a bit of solitary walk?<\/strong><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Walking alone. Just hearing this is frightening&#8230; No need to try and deny it, I can see you shivering and sweating bullets on your keyboard! One can always find&nbsp;a whole lot of good reasons no to walk alone. Yet, solitary travel is an incredibly rich experience.&nbsp;As for myself, I looooove to walk alone!&nbsp;Luckily enough&nbsp;for me, &hellip;<\/p>\n<p class=\"read-more\"> <a class=\"\" href=\"https:\/\/santiagoinlove.com\/en\/overcome-5-fears-walk-alone\/\"> <span class=\"screen-reader-text\">Walking alone: 5 fears about it and how to get over them<\/span> Read More &raquo;<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":109,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_mi_skip_tracking":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_active":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_note":"","_monsterinsights_sitenote_category":0},"categories":[233],"tags":[54,51,52,53,49,254,50],"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO plugin v18.3 - https:\/\/yoast.com\/wordpress\/plugins\/seo\/ -->\n<title>Walking alone: 5 fears about it and how to get over them - Santiago in Love<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"Solo on the Camino? 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