My reasons for the Camino:
-Spiritual pilgrimage
-Penance perhaps for myself and others
-Doing something that REALLY pushes me out of my comfort zone both physically and mentally (I worry about catching hypothermia (I read on a forum about one man found in waist deep snow who died from hypothermia after getting separated from his companions in the dense fog), bed bugs (my worst nightmare next to mosquitos), stray dogs/wolves, people with ill intent)
-The Camino is a metaphor for life
-Honestly, I'm not really sure why I'm doing it. I hope God has something to do with it. Is walking the Camino a way to fill my pride and have a bragging right to say I'd walked so many miles in the dead of winter, when the Camino is supposedly the most challenging? I hope not. I've actually been having some bad physical reactions like loss of appetite and sleeplessness, probably due to my subconscious worrying. I'm a planner that likes to think of all potential problems A, B and C, and solutions A^2, B^2 and C^2. You can't really plan what's going to happen to you along the Camino...and carrying all your potential solutions would be too heavy.
-Losing a little 'cubicle/office' weight from the past 4 years of delicious Google food would be nice. ;)
Why Now?
-I'm young and have the physical ability to do this, blessed with all my limbs and health
-I have the time. I have a super-encouraging FF director that found me class coverage for my volunteer obligations. Au revoir my cute, but very energetic, munchkins! I also quit my job on September 21st because I felt like it was the right thing to do, that it was time to move onto something new...I just didn't know what. I left a simply great company and even more amazing colleagues and manager that really supported me throughout my career, but I was a bit tired, so I thought I'd travel - then traveled around California, Colorado, and routinely visited my home state too. By late November, I was honestly mentally ready to hit the pavement and work. I miss working! However, I knew I had to do something that I wouldn't be able to do due to vacation time restrictions when I'm gainfully employed again. Walking the Camino seemed like a good fit.
-On one hand, a winter Camino means that there are less albergues (pilgrim houses/hostels) and bars open, so you may have to walk further to have a place to stay (maybe even camp outside) and something to eat. If weather is bad, you might not be able to go certain routes. It's also cold so you have to carry more gear, adding to the weight of the pack you'll be carrying for a month. On the other hand, there are less people, less crowds, more silence to think, and less advance planning needed because one doesn't have to compete with others for a place to sleep.
-Of the 3 things I looked into, this pilgrimage seemed to work out the best for me on my timeline and people I asked help from were extremely speedy in responding.
-In my last trip to Europe 1-2 months ago, I kept walking and wandering. I didn't feel like I had reached an end point when I hopped on the plane back to San Francisco. Maybe I'm meant to walk more...approximately 500 miles more.
-I turned down a job offer so that I could do a pilgrimage that would give God space to direct me in any direction he wanted me to go, as opposed to me choosing a path before I even took the time to try listening to him. Right now, I don't have anything to come back to - and this is how I want to arrive at the end of the Camino (if God wills that happens) - not worrying and thinking about a job to do after I come back, but rather, to go forth and do whatever I'm inspired to do after my walk.
-Spiritual pilgrimage
-Penance perhaps for myself and others
-Doing something that REALLY pushes me out of my comfort zone both physically and mentally (I worry about catching hypothermia (I read on a forum about one man found in waist deep snow who died from hypothermia after getting separated from his companions in the dense fog), bed bugs (my worst nightmare next to mosquitos), stray dogs/wolves, people with ill intent)
-The Camino is a metaphor for life
-Honestly, I'm not really sure why I'm doing it. I hope God has something to do with it. Is walking the Camino a way to fill my pride and have a bragging right to say I'd walked so many miles in the dead of winter, when the Camino is supposedly the most challenging? I hope not. I've actually been having some bad physical reactions like loss of appetite and sleeplessness, probably due to my subconscious worrying. I'm a planner that likes to think of all potential problems A, B and C, and solutions A^2, B^2 and C^2. You can't really plan what's going to happen to you along the Camino...and carrying all your potential solutions would be too heavy.
-Losing a little 'cubicle/office' weight from the past 4 years of delicious Google food would be nice. ;)
Why Now?
-I'm young and have the physical ability to do this, blessed with all my limbs and health
-I have the time. I have a super-encouraging FF director that found me class coverage for my volunteer obligations. Au revoir my cute, but very energetic, munchkins! I also quit my job on September 21st because I felt like it was the right thing to do, that it was time to move onto something new...I just didn't know what. I left a simply great company and even more amazing colleagues and manager that really supported me throughout my career, but I was a bit tired, so I thought I'd travel - then traveled around California, Colorado, and routinely visited my home state too. By late November, I was honestly mentally ready to hit the pavement and work. I miss working! However, I knew I had to do something that I wouldn't be able to do due to vacation time restrictions when I'm gainfully employed again. Walking the Camino seemed like a good fit.
-On one hand, a winter Camino means that there are less albergues (pilgrim houses/hostels) and bars open, so you may have to walk further to have a place to stay (maybe even camp outside) and something to eat. If weather is bad, you might not be able to go certain routes. It's also cold so you have to carry more gear, adding to the weight of the pack you'll be carrying for a month. On the other hand, there are less people, less crowds, more silence to think, and less advance planning needed because one doesn't have to compete with others for a place to sleep.
-Of the 3 things I looked into, this pilgrimage seemed to work out the best for me on my timeline and people I asked help from were extremely speedy in responding.
-In my last trip to Europe 1-2 months ago, I kept walking and wandering. I didn't feel like I had reached an end point when I hopped on the plane back to San Francisco. Maybe I'm meant to walk more...approximately 500 miles more.
-I turned down a job offer so that I could do a pilgrimage that would give God space to direct me in any direction he wanted me to go, as opposed to me choosing a path before I even took the time to try listening to him. Right now, I don't have anything to come back to - and this is how I want to arrive at the end of the Camino (if God wills that happens) - not worrying and thinking about a job to do after I come back, but rather, to go forth and do whatever I'm inspired to do after my walk.
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