Pero porque...

but why???

(See how those Spanish classes are paying off already)

The reasons why someone would walk the Camino
may be more varied today than in centuries past
when pilgrims were predominantly religious 'seekers' –
walking for a cure,
in thanksgiving,
to pray for some form of  intercession
for themselves or loved ones
or as a form of penance –
either self-imposed or mandated by the courts.

(Yup, walking the Camino was once a punishment for some criminals 
in lieu of serving time with hard labor.
 I’m trying not to even think about the implications of that)

Today, however, people travel the Camino
looking for a relatively inexpensive, total immersion way to see another country,
for fitness, or as a fund raiser for a ‘cause’.

There’s no denying though,
that a majority still do walk to give themselves the time and space
to discern the answers to life questions,
in thanksgiving, for a cure,
as a form of penance
or because they’re seeking some less readily defined connection
to the mysterious,
to the Source;
maybe some proof of the Divine in themselves,
in nature
and in others.

As far as I’m able to be honest with myself,
my motivations are fairly simple.

After working for over 3 decades in the field of child abuse,
I can’t imagine anything better than walking to the ends of the known universe –
and leaving behind all the horror and pain I've been witness to.

From all I’ve read, there are very few children on the Camino –
and I won’t be responsible for the safety of any of them!

It’s not that I’ve not loved what I do…
I have;
it’s allowed me to see the very best –
and the very worst –
of how human beings treat each other.

I’m grateful God gave me the strength to do the work I did for so long.
 I’m also grateful He’s giving me the strength to walk away before it kills me.
Gratitude is no small matter.

I also know that while my career in pediatric healthcare might be over,
my ‘service’ is not.

I’ve known from the time I was 10 that I was meant to be a Social Worker;
that it was a vocation given to me by God;
that all the pathology in my family of origin
would be useful in helping me identify with people everywhere
who were oppressed and mistreated.

(Yes, I thought about stuff like that when I was a kid;
I told you from the get-go I wasn’t normal;
don’t be acting all surprised now!)

Anyway, when you have an identity handed to you at such an early age,
when you’re released from that decades later,
there’s going to be some soul searching involved in what’s next.

The truth is, I don’t know.
But I trust in the One who has plans for my life –
and I trust that it will be revealed to me in good time.

In the meantime, I might as well be walking,
meeting new people,
stretching myself beyond what’s comfortable
and giving myself the luxury of silence and time apart from routine
to listen to what the Universe is teaching me now.

See? – simple.

Or maybe not…