Letters To

It's about 7:30 a.m. on Thursday, July 19. Up this morning at 5:30-ish, took the dog for a long walk, back for my shower, breakfast, paper, and now here with iced coffee ready to post for a bit then get to work. My long walk is approaching, perhaps faster than I would like, but it comes when it comes, right? My shamanic teacher has agreed to do a blessing ceremony for me and my equipment the week before I leave. I will have to decide who to invite, although I think I probably already know. My mind is always crossing itself with ideas of what to take, what to leave, how to pack it, etc. On the e-mail list regarding the Camino that I've belonged to for years, people have just said, well, just go...pack your bag and go! This was in response to when I posted a couple of years ago and said I was going to do my first (notice I do say "first") Camino when I turned 50. But it's not something you "just go" and do. Even though I am neither Catholic nor Christian, ...

I bought my ticket for Spain. There's no turning back now, a pilgrim I will be. I have been turning that over and over in my head. I bought a set of Spanish flash cards today, and I've been taking private Spanish lessons for the last 6 weeks. I know it's all going to fly right out of my head the first time I, God forbid, actually have to SAY anything in Spanish, but at least I should be able to read signs and find directions which will be a good thing! All the planning and packing for the Vision Quest have come in very helpful. My pack is now much lighter than it would have been, and will probably get even lighter. And quite a bit of it will probably be stuffed with various "feminine hygiene" products!!! But, since I survived the, quite literal, bloodbath of the VQ, I think I'll be able to manage on the road. After all, I'll be stopping some place every night with running water, and with luck, showers. Checking the weather, I see it's 80's and 90...