Sitting on cathedral steps without a ticket to certainty

Arrival without answers

Key moment: Tourists swirled; pilgrims sat with packs like punctuation marks. I expected arrival to feel like a lock clicking. Instead it felt like a long inhale without guaranteed exhale.

1. I attended Mass and understood little linguistically, yet sang poorly with sincerity. Ritual does not require comprehension to stretch the heart.

2. Questions remained—about work, love, belief. Santiago did not issue certificates for inner peace. The Compostela confirmed distance, not destiny.

3. Evening light softened stone. I watched a teenager take selfies while an old pilgrim wept quietly three metres away. Multitudes fit the plaza.

I wrote postcards admitting I was still unfinished. Honesty felt more sacred than performance.

If arrival disappoints, sit longer. Cathedrals were built slowly; souls can be too.

If arrival disappoints, sit longer. Cathedrals were built slowly; souls can be too.