true life planet

Ok, I’m going to say it like it is at this point: There’s some slight-ever so slight-panic setting in.

Tomarrow at 8 am, I’ll be on my way to Madrid, Spain. After that, I’ll be making my way to Roncesvalles, which will be my starting point for the Camino de Santiago.

I remember not so long ago, when I was preparing to leave for the Central American part of my journey, that I was a wreck. An, utter, complete wreck. Leaving friends, family, everything I had ever known for the adventure of a lifetime. It seemed so impossible, so vast…so much for me to take on at that point in my life.

Not surprisingly, I got used to travel pretty quickly..and stopped panicking about things that I could not foresee or control.Travel has made me a gentler, kinder, more adaptable human being.

This time around, there is that last minute rush to get all those little things I need…small tiny tube of toothpaste, a padlock, earplugs..and so on. And do all those last minute little things…like write this blog entry, call friends and family, say goodbye to my dogs and cat, do my laundry, go to the bank..and so on.

This time the panic(which is actually bordering on excitement!) is not about fears of not being able to do it, it’s just about all the little details needing to get done.

What a drastic change from the first time I left the States, when I was worried about silly things happening to me, such as getting sick(everyone does), getting lost(everyone does), and being homesick beyond belief(everyone does).

I’m packing-and repacking my bag to make my load as light as possible, planning on having some things sent to me along the way later on. I keep reading these warnings about not taking too much, and I’m trying to follow them. But since I’ve never walked 500 miles before, it’s hard to even think about packing. I’m more thinking about that I’m about to walk 500 miles, something I never thought I could do in my entire life.

But, frankly, I’m looking forward to it. Not only will it be a beautiful way to see Spain, it will be a deeply spiriual experience as well.

Maybe this time it’s a bit easier to leave my home because I know I’m coming back-I know this is where I belong, and that this lovely town of Winters, California is my home.

That just makes it so much nicer-both the journey and the returning.

Flight Information: SF to Atlanta tomarrow am No. DLO68

                                      Atlanta to Madrid tomarrow afternoon No.DLO108

Gigi

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