Fifty Days and Counting!

Happy Friday! I decided to begin my journal — Pre Camino de Santiago today.

I have walked 6+ miles every day since I returned from our European vacation. Next week, I will increase my mileage to 10 miles a day—with my backpack of course. I am easing back into my walking since vacation, I don’t want to chance an injury that might cause my training to be stalled.

In Dallas, we have a heat “warning” today. The temps will once again be in triple digits and the heat index even more dangerously high. I will work out in the gym today and work on uphill climbing—preparing for the Pyrenees portion of the Camino.

I find myself praying constantly for my Camino. I wake up in the morning or the middle of the night thinking about it. I go to sleep thinking about it. I am not sure if this is fear, or the strong desire to complete the entire 500-mile walk. I don’t know that it matters right now. I am doing all I can now to be prepared—well, as prepared as one can be for the unknown. I equate this feeling to when I was expecting our first child, Sara. It was all I thought about, prayed, and prepared for—but no one can really tell you what your experience will be like—what it is like to have a baby dependent on you. It takes going through it to know. So I am opening my heart and mind to an adventure, praying for joy, fellowship with other pilgrims, good health, and safety.

There are times I wish I wasn’t going alone—but this isn’t Joe’s cup of tea. He would be miserable. And I don’t want that for him or my Santiago experience. My friend, Diane had planned to do a portion of the Camino a few years ago, but COVID got in the way. Then Diane had to drop out of going due to a walking/hiking accident she had that compromised her ankle for such a long walk.

So, I will go alone. I will continue to fully rely on God today and every day — especially as I prepare and walk my Camino.Read more