17/02/2026
It seems impossible that this is less than three months from now. I have gathered nearly every piece of gear than I will need for this pilgrimage walk through Spain beginning May 13. I’ve been much more deliberate about training since December. The sort of unintended benefit has been 10 lost pounds. My wind is as strong as I can remember since I went to college. In 2019 my marriage ended and the next 4+ years I wandered, although I thought I was shifting gears and stepping into a new career and new life as a single person. In so many ways that time was jarring and sometimes felt disastrous. Over that time I somehow found my person and found a life that looks different than I could have envisioned or orchestrated. I have been describing this current period in the year since I committed to the May-June dates as being “pregnant with possibility.” All of this has come through some deep personal work. I made walking the 500-mile French Route of the Camino de Santiago a goal in 2019. At the time I was in the very worst physical condition ever, weighing over 300 pounds, depressed and overwhelmed. This upcoming adventure has been nearly seven years in the making. I am grateful to so many people who walked with me from the beginning. I would name them all here, but I am afraid I might forget many. My family and friends have been present and patient. I imagine that in some form or fashion I’ve tightened my inner circle, mostly, and perhaps unintentionally to work on some old wounds that haven’t healed. Some of those have been buried and forgotten until recently. On the Camino there is a saying: “Our possessions are our burden.” Most often it feels like that refers to our backpacks and the unnecessary things we tend to pack. Often you will see clothing and other things left along the way, which is a tangible sign of shedding unneeded or unwanted burdens. I can’t say that I have laid down all of the burdens that I need to. I can say that I am more willing to see those things and to work toward shedding them. This Camino, for me, will be an opportunity to make some progress in that regard, an perhaps to uncover more. Today marks 30 years and 9 days since I began my sober journey. Sobriety these days is much different than those early days. I am grateful to those of you who have tolerated me and supported me along this way. I’ve included some of this people in my post and I am certain I have omitted others because of my aging brain. And while it is true that I will likely be carrying nessesary items in my pack, I will have each of you who I’ve named or known accompanying me in 85 days! Peace! Buen Camino!
