I have a sabbatical coming up early next year and I’m pondering walking the Camino de Santiago during it.
The Camino has been in the back of my mind for years – since before my last sabbatical back in 2018 actually. That wasn’t the right time for me to do such a solo trek for a variety of reasons but circumstances have changed (mostly, my husband and I are empty nesters these days) so it’s back on my bucket list now.
The last year or so has been a tough one for many reasons with the biggest one being losing my mom. As the one-year mark approaches, I feel somewhat like a survivor having made it through the toughest period. But the grief is still there and I suspect it will shadow me for years, and likely forever. The last couple of years and in particular the last year has left me feeling beat up and scarred in some ways and so my mind has turned to the Camino as a way to process everything, come to terms with it, and get my head straight.
I’ve been in high stress mode for so long now that it feels like I’ve forgotten how it feels to not be that way.
There’s something appealing about leaving all of that behind for a brief period of time and be focused simply on the act of putting one foot in front of the other and relying on myself, whatever I carry on my back, and maybe the kindness of strangers to get me through each day.
I’d be lying if I said the idea of this doesn’t make me nervous at all – it does. But it feels like the Camino is calling to me and I should answer it.
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