The reasons were obvious to me. I've worked hard on getting my body ready for a new life. Right now, I can say with confidence that I have lost at least sixty pounds of unwanted weight since last year and will, in fact, be celebrating a year since my bariatric adventure began. Within that year, I also celebrated my seventieth birthday. Both events, I reckon, are worthy of being marked by something extraordinary.
People walk the Camino for various reasons. The full Camino, done by pilgrims for centuries, stretches over 500 kilometers. The Camino de Santiago known in English as The Way of Saint James among other names,is a network serving pilgrimages to the shrine of the apostle Saint James the Great in the Cathedral of Santiago de Compostela. The town of Compostela, is in Galicia in northwestern Spain. Tradition has it that the remains of the saint are buried here. Many follow its routes as a form of spiritual path or retreat for their spiritual growth. Others, simply for exercise or the challenge of having completed something that they find to be life-altering, no matter the reason. The modern-day "pilgrims" come to the route from all parts of the world, all cultures, all ages, and all shapes and sizes. Some only make it part of the way, stopping their journey for reasons that they may not have anticipated when they started out. For most of those who enter the route, backpacks and hostels become their way of life for at least thirty days.
For people like myself and my husband, the last one hundred kilometers will suffice. We won't be backpacking, nor will we be hosteling, but we will "qualify" for the much-desired "Compostela" when we arrive at the end of our journey. At that point, we will have to present proof of our having completed the route and we will have to state our intentions, whether they be religious or otherwise. At this point in our journey, the days before our departure, we find that we are called upon to state those same intentions, by curious friends, acquaintances, and family members. When I'm asked, I'm never quite sure what to say. I know, in my heart, what the answer is, but I am not always willing to share those innermost thoughts. But, I will tell you, that when thoughts have been shared, the responses have not always been, shall I say, thoughtful or even sensitive. Both my husband and I have been told that we're "crazy" or that the choice would not be his or hers.
We've been "warned" about blisters, foot problems, lack of stamina, difficulty. You name it, we've been "advised". As if we don't already know all of that! As if we are looking for an easy way to spend a week in the Spring.
I've decided to stop trying to make other people happy. I've decided to look deeply into why we are doing this in the first place. I'm not going to answer any more questions regarding our motivation. It's like the old saying....."if you have to ask the price, you can't afford it".
So, perhaps my future blogs will reveal some answers. Perhaps, not. This is MY Camino and My journey.
But, I did look for some help and found it in a forum. A woman of my same age, who, incidentally, is doing her second solo Camino, when summarizing her motives, simply says that she doesn't want to die without having done this. Buen Camino!
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