‘No man ever steps in the same river twice, for it’s not the same river and he’s not the same man.’ Heraclitus
Likewise, we never walk the same Camino twice.
Every Camino is new. I’ve done this Camino a couple times in the past – detailed in the prior years’ trips. On a basic level, the time of year is different. The weather is variable day to day and can offer new challenges and wonders. Foliage grows and keeps rhythm with the seasons. On the path, each step gives us a fresh perspective of our surroundings. The connections we make along the way with fellow pilgrims and the conversations we have are all unique.Health issues are always a mystery after that commencing step on the first day. Will there be blisters, aches, injuries, dehydration…and, if so, when and how bad?
This Camino will be a bit different for me in these ways, I’m sure.
However, we’re also changed people, over time. I’m not the same person who took those initial steps into the Pyrenees over six years ago.
My circumstances in life are dramatically changed. I credit my Caminos with the realization that changes were necessary. It’s hard, if not impossible, to be alone on the road for long stretches of time with one’s thoughts and feelings without it having an effect. I could push down and ignore the truth for only so long but, eventually, had to be honest with myself about unhealthy, dysfunctional relationships and change the course of those relationships in very drastic ways. In other relationships since then, I’ve learned that I need to be honest, trust my gut, set boundaries, and not settle.
My living situation is new. After living through lockdown in a tiny studio flat with my son, I went through a series of home searches and had almost given up hope – until God found me the perfect little ‘grandma house’. That whole process was a huge step in my journey towards financial and psychological independence. I’ve learned from some of my mistakes and, thank God, got some serious health issues under control. All of these things play a part in who I’ve become. This metamorphosis …let’s just say … ‘it’s in the book’.
And, about a year and a half ago – on a cold December day in the suburbs of Chicago, I was walking home from the train station while returning from work and was struck by a car while crossing the street. I was hauled away in an ambulance and underwent surgery to repair cracked vertebrae. During my time in the hospital and while recovering in the months that followed, my overwhelming emotion was gratitude. It wasn’t lost on me that if I’d landed differently, I could have incurred serious brain trauma, been unable to walk again, or even been killed. The clear realization from that experience was that every moment is a gift. Truly. Nobody is owed another moment. Any one of us can be taken away in a second. Eighty years is a nice, egalitarian concept. But, nobody is owed that.
After the accident I started to think a bit more about what am I doing with the time I have? I want to enjoy each day. And when I go – I want to have done something to try to help fix bigger issues in our world as well. What if I could combine one of my favorite time off activities (hiking) with a way to address a big yet fixable problem?
So, that’s why this year I’m taking my full lot of vacation days, consecutively with unpaid leave, to walk from Saint Jean Pied du Port, France to Muxia, Spain. Five weeks, 560+ miles.
And, I’ll be opening up a campaign for water. Starting…now…
https://www.charitywater.org/marilyn-peterson/marilyn-s-camino-for-water
Why water? It is virtually impossible to walk across Spain (or any extensive hike) without abundant access to clean water. But over 700,000,000 people in our world today live every day without access to clean water. They’ll often hike miles each day, sometimes through treacherous terrain, to get water. Any water. Even water that will make them sick or die. And we can change that.
Charity:water is excellent at working with local communities to dig wells and find water for the people who need it the most. Every dollar raised goes directly to the projects they’re working on – their overhead is provided in full by other generous donors. And every $40 collected means that one more person can get access to safe, clean drinking water. More about this organization along the way.
I hope you’ll join me. On my campaign for water and …on my new Camino.
More later…