September has always been my favorite month in Seattle. Leaves changing colors on the maple trees around town signal fall’s fast approach. But the days are still warm and fairly long, perfect for hiking or bike riding. It’s a time of the year when we celebrate bringing in the harvest with bountiful pumpkins and gourdes that mirror the golden colors of fall painting a warm glow around us. Fires are once again lit in the fireplaces bringing warmth in both our rooms and hearts as we start to settle indoors earlier each day with the shortened daylight.
Interestingly, while I am walking around town on my pretend Caminos, this weather reminds me of when I was training for my Camino in the Spring and then walking it in Spain. I start out on the cold and sometimes cloudy mornings, wearing gloves and layers. As the sun starts to peek out from the early morning clouds and the day warms, the layers start coming off. Here I am in Seattle, thousands of miles away from Spain, and experiencing the fall season rather than the spring, yet still things like the weather ‘take me back’ and I’m feeling the Camino, reliving the Camino once again.
When the frogs are talking outside my window, I’m immediately back on the path hearing them chatter from the water ditches along the path. It’s as if the Camino has become so much a part of my being that local sights, sounds and smells will take me back to the Camino and the two experiences become one.
I’ll forever be walking the Camino, whether at home or in Spain!
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