I returned from hiking the Camino de Santiago a different person from when I left. I was connected to the universe in a way I never had experienced, in tune with nature, with people, with myself. Life was full of goodness and I radiated with joy.
Four busy months later, that link is not as coherent. Each time I go for a walk, call a friend, or take time for myself, I can plug back into that connectedness, but the connection is intermittent.
Writing about the experience enhances that connection. As I write the book Women of the Way, I am connected to that experience for hours and the sense of well-being and joy is recharged. As I relate my story, I am walking the Camino, listening to the crushing stones beneath my steps, the thrill of birds, the bleating of sheep. I can smell the earth, autumn, manure. I am hugging old friends and making new ones. I am there.
Prolonging the experience through writing is an unforeseen boon. Each day, I cannot wait to write. “…focus on the journey, not the destination. Joy is found not in finishing an activity but in doing it.” ~ Greg Anderson. On that level, I do not want to stop writing.
