What a difference a day makes

Today was not a great day to walk. After a few days of soaking rain the ground has turned to marshland and is occasionally impassable except through large puddles. I spent the morning trying desperately not to fall over, slipping and sliding along red clay paths and cursing the rain. I thought about what a difference a few days has brought to the conditions around me - I crossed the Pyrenees in sunshine and now here I was, covered (and I mean covered) in mud, wet, cold and a bit pissed off.

I slid into Viana after what seemed an eternity (having made a largely unsuccessful attempt to clean my pants with a small bush by the side of the road), found a bar and orderd lunch. As I sat there I watched some shaky phone camera footage on the TV. I slowly made out the Spanish on the screen and realised there had been a car bomb in the University of Navarre in Pamplona an hour and a half earlier. I walked through that university 2 days ago. The road runs right through the campus. Suddenly the mud on my pants didn't seem so important. The news said 17 people were dead (well I think it did - my phrasebook dictionary has the words for 'windsurfer' and 'chemical toilet' but not 'dead' or 'injured' - go figure) and I learned later it was because the police arrested two ETA leaders the day before.

We always hear about these things on the news and they always seem a long way away from us. We live under this comforting illusion that we'll be alive for a lot longer yet, but the reality is we don't know how much time we´ll get here. Life is very fragile thing, and I think most of us hold it too cheaply most of the time simply because we don't consider how quickly it can be taken away. A lot of people were worried about my trip, seeing it as a bit risky. All those students did was walk out their front doors.

Today I am very grateful to have a heart that beats, lungs that breathe, arms and legs that work, and eyes to see the beauty of this world. I also want to say thank-you to all of who who take the time to read this blog - that you care enough to be interested in my adventures means more than I can say. And from today onwards I plan to care less about the mud and rain and all the other small, pointless things, and be thankful for each and every day I get here, because it's one more than many people get. Much love to you all xx