PERHAPS I’m viewing the past through those rose-tinted glasses again, but I think that I used to be a lot more spontaneous than I am now.
When did life get so busy that we book everything into a diary and timetable almost every minute of our lives?
We tend not to drop in on people as much as we used to; that is without texting or calling ahead of our visit. Many might welcome this as it makes ‘the sitter’ (the person who overstays their welcome) a thing of the past.
I had to check myself a couple of years ago. My best friend was trying to arrange a day away. She was texting me in February. I replied to her, saying, "I honestly have no free time until May". I was so consumed with ‘being busy’ that I told a person who loves me like a sister that I couldn’t see her for three months.
She told me to catch myself on. And I did.
2019 has been busy thus far. Last Saturday I had a few things booked in. Time, I felt, was tight, so when a friend texted at 12.30 suggesting a quick cinema visit at 1pm, my reaction was ‘I can’t because I have so many other things to do.’
For whatever reason, I made a split-second decision, rang her back immediately and told her that I would see her at QFT in 20 minutes.
That was the best decision I have made in quite a while. We went to see The Camino Voyage, a film documenting the journey of three Kerry men and a Kilkenny-based artist who rowed from St James’s Gate, in Dublin, along the Liffey, then to Rosslare and across the seas to Spain.
Their destination was Santiago de Compostela, where St James, the biblical apostle, is buried. On the 800th anniversary of the first historically recorded sailing from Ireland to Spain, these men were following the ancient Celtic pilgrimage of the high seas in a handmade solid wood naomhóg or currach – a small boat.
Danny Mac An tSíthigh, Breanndán Ó Béaglaíoch, Breanndán Ó Muircheartaigh, and Liam Holden undertook the voyage in three parts, and completed it over three years.
When people along the way saw what they were doing, they thought that they were mad. They were. The journey of 2,500km across the Irish Sea, the English Channel, along the coast of Brittany and into the Bay of Biscay was extremely dangerous in parts. They rowed through the night on many occasions, spending up to 16 hours in a small boat in the sea, often in extreme weather.
After one particularly long, tough day in the water, we see the four oarsmen get stuck into a feed of tea and scones with slabs of real butter. As my friend commented to me, "there wasn’t a protein shake in sight".
Physical resilience was part of their journey, but their mental resilience is something to behold. They were incredibly spontaneous. They undertook this odyssey with a carefree attitude, with the simplest of belongings with with them, but with the riches of music, poetry and wit in abundance.
Musician, songwriter and Oscar winner Glen Hansard joined the odyssey in its third year, when Breanndán Ó Muircheartaigh had to bow out as he had secured full-time employment in the Blasket Islands.
It was evident that Glen had no idea what he had let himself in for, but he’s glad that he had the opportunity.
My favourite part of the documentary was the pilgrims’ entry into Santiago De Compostela, the day they completed the journey. They hoisted the fifth member of their crew, the boat, An naomhóg, on their shoulders and walked through the streets of this ancient city to the Cathedral. They were surrounded by crowds and music. The magic of that day and the sense of achievement were captured superbly.
In 2015 I completed one leg of the Camino – on land – from Sarria to Santiago de Compostela. We walked 110km in six days. I was unfit and had no idea what was ahead of me, but I remember that feeling when walking down the hill to cathedral. It was like no other. I was tired, my feet were sore, and I was filled with emotion. I found a great sense of achievement and of peace.
An act of spontaneity last Saturday provided a soul-enriching experience and a reminder to step back from the busy life.
