How did the decision to walk the Camino come about for me? It started more than 15 years ago when I bought Shirley MacLaine’s book, “The Camino.” I’ve always been a fan of Shirley MacLaine,  both in her movies and her books. This was her latest book at the time and so I thought I’d give it a read. I’d never heard of the Camino, but was fascinated by the idea of a spiritual journey in another country.  Even though I’ve done camping and backpacking when I was younger, the thought of walking every day and sleeping out in fields or being chased by wild animals wasn’t something I was interested in doing… not at 50 years old! So I put the book back on the shelf and let the idea pass… Until 10-12 years ago (maybe a little longer) I told my friend Kate Armstrong about the book and the Camino and told her I thought she should do it. A year later she did! Kate walked the entire 500+ miles and she was 60+!

Then, five years ago my brother Bill and his wife Diane came to visit for Thanksgiving. They live in the Bay Area in California and live a very active lifestyle; running, cycling, swimming, diving and sailing… the works! I told them about the Camino (they’d never heard of it), and once again I suggested to someone else that they needed to walk the Camino. We watched the movie, “The Way” written by Emilio Estevez and starring his dad, Martin Sheen. It’s the story of a son (Emilio) who goes to Spain to walk the Camino and on the first night out he has an accident and is killed (no it doesn’t give away the story, only creates the “why.”) Martin goes to claim the body and decides to walk the Camino for his son (and really for himself). It’s the story of his walk, the people he meets, and the lessons he learns. Anyways, Bill and Diane were intrigued but noncommital.

A month later, they called and said they watched the movie, “The Way” again. A month after that they called back and said they were going and wanted me to join them! They were committed and were planning their adventure for September 2014. Due to many reasons (one being the death of our Mom in 2014), I wasn’t able to join them, but they did the entire 500+ miles. You can read about their journey here, http://www.caminodewirewalker.com.

But the story doesn’t stop there! Fast forward to November 2015 and again Bill and Diane are visiting for Thanksgiving and they announce to everyone that they are again going back to Spain to walk the Camino and this time I am going… no excuses! And of course, I said “YES!” Not yes to the entire 500+ miles, but to a smaller portion of it. The journey began at that point and even though I am not scheduled to leave Tucson until Friday September 23, 2016, I am indeed on the Camino. My journey, my pilgrimage, my life. I hope you will join me as I say to you, “I think you need to do this!” Follow me, it’s going to be a trip!  Buen Camino, mis amigos!