“Why are you doing that?”
When I tell people Sunita and I plan to walk 500 plus miles across Southern France and Northern Spain, one of the first questions I hear is “Why are you doing that?" It’s a valid question and one I have asked myself many times over the past months as I have fussed over backpack selection, tried out at least a dozen different shoe brands and styles, watched hundreds of YouTube Camino advice and gear videos just for starters. How many shirts should I bring? Wool or synthetic socks? DSLR or iPhone (or both)? Shorts or hiking pants? Hoodie or hat? How far should we plan to walk each day? Book accommodations ahead of time or play it by ear? The planning can be an overwhelming experience, especially when you lean towards overthinking and obsessive behavior. After nearly forty years working in IT, “winging it” is not something I can do.
For me, the planning became the mission along with trying to improve my overall fitness prior to starting. When it all became too much and I felt ready to burst, it helped me to step back and ask myself that same, magical question: Why am I doing this? Sunita asked me the same thing when we first discussed doing the pilgrimage a few years ago. My answer was long and rambling, not well formulated (given I had not really thought about it beyond - “hey, that seems like a cool thing to try…”). Since then, I have been able to organize my thoughts and reasons for walking into a hopefully coherent, concise and understandable explanation. You decide.
Here are my four key reasons for walking the Camino de Santiago, listed in no particular order. First is the physical and mental challenge of the distance and consecutive walking days. I have never tried anything like this before and want to find out if I am up to the task. Physically I am sure it will be difficult, but my biggest concern is my ability to manage the mental ‘toughness’ I believe will be necessary to keep going. I know many thousands have done this before me, but I am not them. Second, though I am not an overly spiritual or actively religious person, I do believe I have been blessed with a very good life, probably better than I deserve. I have a beautiful and loving wife, wonderful children (and their spouses) and grandchildren, caring and nurturing parents, never wanted for anything I or my loved ones actually needed, a rewarding and challenging career and some amazing life experiences - all despite being a far less than perfect human being. I walk the Way of St. James in acknowledgement of and as thanks for this life I have been given. Third, I am an introvert. I do not make friends easily, nor am I comfortable in new social situations (exact opposite of Sunita I might add - I married well in that regard too). By its nature, a big part of the Camino experience it seems is the interaction with fellow pilgrims and meeting new people every day, forming friendships and bonds with people who were total strangers a short time before. I intend to face my fears and awkwardness directly while walking the Camino, fully embrace the social aspect of it, and hopefully grow both socially and intellectually as result. Last, I am very excited to experience Spanish (and a bit of French as well) culture, language, history, food and people to the extent possible firsthand by walking slowly through the countryside, cities, towns and villages. My Spanish language skills are virtually non-existent, and my hope is this too will improve vastly during the walk (Olga and Sunita, are you listening?).
Bonus reason/benefit: I think Sunita mentioned previously that we will be walking with our friend Olga from Barcellona. Sunita and Olga have been great friends for a long time; however I only met Olga recently. I look forward to the opportunity to get to know her better as the three of us walk the pilgrimage together and begin ‘encontrando el camino’.
Buen Camino
Rich