I Love My Life

Preparing for the camino makes me think of Paulo Coelho’s quote, “One day you will wake up and there won’t be any more time to do the things you’ve always wanted.  Do it now.”  The hours and hours I am walking in preparation for the camino, I would not have allowed myself to do without a goal – work, animal care, to-do’s would have taken top priority.  And yet, I love walking.  I’m already beginning to understand that my life has changed with new patterns being put into place that will continue long after I have returned from my journey. My motto has become, “Do it now.”

While cloudy, no rain was on the horizon this past Saturday as I headed out to do my second long walk of the week. Rather than driving to a hiking spot in the mountains, I am especially enjoying walking out the door of my home, down my driveway, and connecting with the country roads that will take me where my car usually does. It feels much more like what I will experience on the camino where I will leave the door of one place of lodging and arrive at the next on foot. Today I’ll wind my way ultimately up to the plateau along the wavy up and down winding road and traverse for a couple miles before heading back down on the other side of the mountain – then turning around and doing the same thing backwards.

I am carrying my back pack filled with books to get used to the weight and water. I found on my walk earlier this week, that while I like the pouches on the outside of the backpack for water bottles, there is no easy way to get the bottles out and put back without taking the backpack off. A quick trip to REI and problem solved with a water bladder, now in place in my backpack with a magnetized tube attached to my backpack chest strap. I also have added a fanny pack with mesh vents that holds my iPhone.  Now I can hear music play amidst the nature sounds of bird chirping and water gurgling in the stream that runs alongside the road.

I clicked Music on my iPhone and chose my friend and France camino sister Andrea Menard’s album, Lift  to hear her song, I Love My Life start playing.  Tears of joy immediately began to roll down my cheeks.  Nothing could be more appropriate than this song, at this time.

I love my life, I love my life.
Every step of the way I can honestly say I love my life.
I love this day. What a beautiful day.
Each moment is mine to make it divine. I love this day.
I love. I love.

By the time Faith & Patience began to play I was weeping from the filled up well of gratitude for my life.

Livelong friends were made on my camino trip to France in 2013, though I have only seen most once or twice since that time. Songstress Andrea lives in Vancouver, BS and Dear Donna lives in Portland, OR. With me halfway in between in the Cascade foothills outside Seattle, WA we have often talked about us gathering here for some soul sister time but in our busy lives, that hasn’t happened. Andrea was one of the six of us who hiked in Mt. Shasta last year, but I haven’t seen Donna since a core group of us reunioned at Zion in 2014. Now, sister pilgrims Andrea and Donna are coming for few days early April and I am once again reminded of the synchronicity that is woven into our lives. Being with them before I depart on the camino will be magical and in perfect time.

The country road turns into the main two lane highway at the plateau, and while there is a path that runs just inside a tree line separating the road, I’m very aware that the songs I could hear clearly are now being drowned out by the whoosh of passing cars. It occurred to me it was a great metaphor for what happens with our intuition and inner guidance when there is too much noise. Once connected with quiet and nature the messages come through loud and clear, rather than drowned out by the noise of everyday life.

I’m noticing the broken branches strewn across the path – a common sight here in Pacific NW after a wind storm which makes me question, “What natural pruning will happen as I walk the camino?” and “What things, no longer needed, will I shed?”

The path moves closer to the highway and becomes a sidewalk, the cars are now much closer and hurry by. Coming up to a posted speed sign, I can see an electronic read out above it calling out the car speeds in a 40 mph zone: 41, 32, 38, 45. Chuckling to myself, I wonder what my speed would be if the counter could scan me when all of a sudden I visualized, instead of numbers, seeing: Camino Time .

As the final and steepest downhill began I had to laugh out loud when I saw a 12% grade sign. Is that a grade on how my hiking is going? Or – just an affirmation of my angle. Either way, it also signified that what goes down, will come back up on the other side. Luckily, at the bottom of the hill is a Starbucks where I will stop for a break and drink a latte, practicing once again for my café con leche (coffee with milk) breaks which will become my daily drink and stop where possible on the camino.

After my short break at Starbucks, I pulled my backpack over my shoulders and knowing that one half of my long walk was complete, headed out the door ready to tackle that hill homeward bound.

Several miles later I turned onto the main connecting road that will take me on my final segment home. There is a small park parking lot where many bicyclists leave their cars before heading onto the trail in the woods.  I moved off the main road to cut through the parking lot that is forested and came upon a picnic table, bountifully filled for a party. I asked the gal who was making multiple trips from her car to the table whose birthday it was. She told me it was her boyfriend’s, that the party would be a surprise when he returned back to the parking lot from his bike ride, and his friends would be there as well to greet him. This party perfectly matched my mood as a day of celebration and I asked if I could take a picture. She smiled and said, ‘yes’.

Happy Birth Day Every One Every Day

Two and a half miles later, I was walking up the winding gravel driveway to my home. There is a soft breeze and the flowering trees flutter in the wind. The pink petals of the flowers are letting loose and showering down on me. It’s a confetti parade welcoming me home after a 13 mile walk.  What a lovely natural phenomenon to experience…and such a celebration of life.

I love my life!