Around this time last year, I was packing my bags and preparing for a hugemongus adventure: walking the Camino de Santiago. It seemed like a massive undertaking at the time, something I could hardly believe thousands of people did every year.

From St. Jean to Burgos heals the body;
Burgos to Leon heals the heart;
Leon to Santiago heals the soul;
Santiago to Finsterre is the rebirth.

I heard this little ditty from an Irish woman I met on the way. At the time I thought it was fun, but not terribly reflective of my own journey. I wasn’t there to heal, I was there for adventure!

My focus was often about making miles and getting a bed in a decent place; or catching up with friends I made along the way, and hurrying to Burgos to meet my sweetie.

Now, it seems like a perfect breakdown for the trip on every level. The first leg made me strong, or reminded me of the strength I never knew I had. The second stretch brought with it the company of my then boyfriend (now husband) and my solitary journey became less lonely. The third was where I began to understand myself in new ways and to realize I had never been alone. The fourth brought completion and closure and took my life to a new stage. I let go of a lot of the old me that no longer served, and I also got engaged to the guy who followed me to Spain to propose. (Well, that wasn’t his only reason)

Along the way I made new friends that I still keep in touch with, and learned the value of non-attachment to the people I encountered along the way. I learned to lighten my load, mentally and physically, and was brought to tears by the most simple of life’s joys: good food, good company or a beautiful sunrise. It was one of the most challenging, difficult, and joyful experiences of my entire life.

A year later, I was rollerblading (yes I still rollerblade!) on the Sammamish River Trail, which reminds me of busy stretches of the Camino in so many ways, and I felt my heart expand with memory of that sweet time in my life and the accomplishment of its completion. (I DID that!) It’s as if all of those experiences were just marinating in me until I was ready to see the trip as more than adventure. And just like a good marinade, time has made the memories both savory and sweet.