Well, it’s been about 6 months since I returned from Spain after completing the Camino de Santiago and I thought it was high time I said a few words on what’s been going on with me and how the Camino has affected me during the months that have passed.  First of all, I have to state that the Camino is still very much a part of my life, as it was when I was actually on it.  I think and hope this will be true for years to come and I am grateful for it.  I am already starting to think about perhaps making a second Camino pilgrimage in a year or so.  And, knowing how these Camino ideas seem to get a foothold and then won’t let you alone as they grow, I wouldn’t be surprised to see another trip to Santiago in my future.

I’ve compared notes with other returning pilgrims and have discovered that this change in being – where the Camino stays firmly in your conscience – is not an isolated feeling.  In fact, it seems to be a fairly common phenomenon.  I think back to my time on the Camino virtually every day.  It was just such an amazing experience.  I’ve continued to expand my book and video library with Camino-related media.  YouTube has given me a number of new and interesting video accounts of other persons’ pilgrimages.  I continue to meet both past pilgrims and those who are just starting to consider making their own pilgrimage on the Camino.

Perhaps one of my most enjoyable pastimes has been tracking the progress of people I know who are currently on their own pilgrimages in Spain.  One friend, in particular, is currently hiking the Camino by herself, having recently arrived in Leon (about 2/3 of the way to Santiago).  Reading her Facebook updates has been a joy for me.  I am able to experience my pilgrimage over again as she reports on her experiences as well as the joys and issues she has been facing.  I have found it very interesting to listen to her as she deals with the many challenges that are inevitable on the Camino and her efforts to overcome those challenges.  I have watched her blossom into her new persona as a peregrina (pilgrim) and I enjoy seeing sights I remember very well in the photos she posts.  From all I can tell, she is experiencing all of the usual issues and challenges and dealing with them very well.  I wish her a “¡Buen Camino!”

My plan is to start posting again on a more regular basis.  I have had a lot of time to think about my experience and have a lot of things I want to say.  I have suggestions to offer to prospective pilgrims and lots of reflections on the pilgrimage I completed last fall.  These posts will mostly be a collection of my random ramblings.  But, I hope others will find them interesting as well.  I am viewing this portion of my life as an entr’acte – the time between pilgrimages.  It will be a time during which I continue to discern what my next interaction with the Camino will be.  My plan is to include you all in my thought processes and will keep you updated as my thoughts and plans develop.

¡Buen Camino!