Not everyone has heard about the Camino de Santiago.  When I am out on my daily walk, I most often wear my baseball hat that I bought in Sarria in 2021 that has the Scallop Shell Symbol and Camino de Santiago stitched on it.  Many recognize it and it often leads to a conversation, but many have never heard of it and know nothing about it.  When they ask me what it is, I always take some time and share that it is a 500 mile walk across Northern Spain.  The response I often get is “who would do something like that?”  My short response is, “Anyone who is seeking an experience and starting point to transform their life”. 

              It seems that everyone who walks the Camino has a compelling story about why they are walking and how they decided to do a Camino.  I think at some level, those who embark on this journey are broken in some meaningful way.  It inevitably shows up in our stories about our life and our experiences.  It often starts with the question, “Who am I, and what is my life about?”  In my 2022 Camino in the fall of that year, so many of the people I met and connected with were young men and women who were seeking answers to these questions.  Even those who were there for the adventure were finding that it was so much more than just an adventure, it was a transformational moment in the context of their life. 

              I have never thought of myself as broken, if life threw me a punch, I was taught to shake it off and get up and continue on.  In fact, doing the Camino was in my mind about my future, not my past.  What I discovered was that it was about neither, it was about the present moment, forgiveness, and the essence of who I am in this moment.  In the journey of seeking, comes the journey of being.   Ursula K. Le Guin, in The Left Hand of Darkness said, “It is good to have an end to journey toward; but it is the journey that matters, in the end.” 

              When we talk with others about this journey, it is not easy to dive into the depths of the inner experience.  When I return home from walking a Camino, I feel a deeper connection with myself and I am kinder, more compassionate, and a more fulfilled human being.  The connections with others I have met on my Caminos are profound and meaningful.  My faith in humanity and transformation is greater than it has ever been.  When I return to start a new Camino, I feel like I am reborn, even in my last Camino where I had to come home early, was a meaningful experience. 

              I love to talk about the journey that is the Camino.  The essence of the walk which is the Way, the path, the adventure, the challenge, the courage, and the victory.  All the details that make up the physical experience.  The expansion of our comfort zones and all the feelings that are associated with that moment of taking the first actual step.  But somewhere along the path, in the presence of fellow Pilgrims and in listening to their stories, something happens.  I began to realize that like the Pilgrims who had taken this journey for healing, I too was here for healing and there were wounds within my consciousness that I never wanted to acknowledge.  I too am broken in so many ways and itis time to come to terms with what has been ignored and is festering.  I have come to believe that the healings of the Pilgrims of old were not about arriving in Santiago, they were about the experience of the journey.  The kindness and acceptance of others, the realization they are not alone, and the possibility of reconciliation with their divine self.  

              One of the transforming experiences is the process of moving from self-focus to an attitude of serving.  Our culture has a narcissistic bent to it that seems to separate us, where the Camino is compelling us to focus on serving others.  It has a way of drawing us together and becoming less concerned about our own perceived needs, and more willing to help fellow Pilgrims.  It seems the cultural hierarchies evaporate, and we are all fellow travelers in a difficult and fascinating journey.  When a middle-aged woman that I was walking with, shared her story of the desire for a child and the journey that occurred for her and resulted in an upheaval in her life, I was transformed by her pain and her courage.  Over and over on the path people would share from their heart the pain and brokenness and I began to see the power of honesty and deep awareness.   A young woman looking for self- love, a gay young man looking for acceptance in his family, the loss of a best friend to suicide, and so many other painful moments.   To me that is the real Camino and the one I most like to talk about.   We are all broken in some way by life’s great challenges, and we all seek to be healed.  That is the Camino. 

Buen Camino