I’m training to walk the El Camino de Santiago in Spain next year. This pilgrimage has been on my bucket list for more than 30 years.
I first heard about the Camino when I read Shirley McLean’s book many years ago. I was in the throes of grief after the death of my first husband and found my way to a spiritual centre that had an excellent library. McLean‘s book is a little wacky and quite woo woo but I started to think about doing such a walk.
Not that I’m religious, but there was something that really appealed to me about it. Since then, I’ve researched and discovered that people walked that path long before Saint James’ martyrdom. People walked on pilgrimage to Finistère, the end of the world, long before the Romans paved the way.
I’d been saying one day for thirty years but it was only when my mum passed away at the end of 2023 that the reality truly dawned on me I’m not actually going to live forever and there will come a time when I’m not able to say “some day I’ll walk the Camino.”
If not now, when?
I’ve never really been the kind of person who puts things off, but I realised that walking the Camino had become just one of those things I think about. So now I’m planning to head to Spain in April 2026, and I’m encouraging others to come along with me and join in the fun, and that’s fun in inverted commas. It’s fun if you enjoy walking a lot.
I’m glad I told friends because I had a bit of a wobble last week because I wasn’t sure I wanted to walk for 40 days. I mean, I’d love to, but I’d also love to spend a few days in the Prado in Madrid and visit the literal thousands of other incredible places in the world.
I know people who’ve landed in Spain, walked the Camino Frances, then jumped back on a plane to Australia. I really don’t want to do that.
So, my lovely friend Penny was so helpful when I told her about my concern. Walk less, she said, You can always go back and do more later.
I just needed to look at it differently. It’s a case of if you’re tired, rest, don’t quit. Or in my case, don’t overthink it. It’s not an all-or-nothing situation. I can do what thousands of other people do every year; walk for the time I have.
So simple.
While I was looking at my bucket list, I realised there’s something else on there that I’m just going to retire – the dream of living and working in Europe.
I missed my opportunity to do it as a young woman. Then when my son was little, we tried, but it just didn’t work out. I’ve done heaps of travelling for extended periods, so I didn’t miss out altogether.
In his book The Power of Regret, Daniel Pink says our regrets offer signposts for future goals. I may have missed out on the rite of passage 2-year stint in London as a young woman, but looking forward I can still travel to teach, be part of a writers’ festival, or even hold retreats overseas. It’s not a no; it’s a challenge to find a different way of doing it.
Astrologer and psychologist, Dr Michael Lennox, says to set big intentions and dream big. The universe, he assures us, has a way of either making things happen or letting us know otherwise, so why not go for it?
