I’ve shared before about how this evolved, how it morphed into a personal Camino, a pilgrimage, a pagamento, an offering. I completed the length of the French Camino by walking in my local landscape. And after that completed, I continued.
I’d walked 500 miles and the Proclaimers song Kept coming to mind, so I was Curious if I could even Possibly walk 500 more?! It wasn’t for fame or fortune or money raising, it was more personal and intimate than that. It was Very much walking myself home, putting the pieces and fragments back together again.
This wasn’t as simple or easy as I expected. I really hurt my ankle and I couldn’t really walk at all for 4 months as tendons and ligaments slowly mended. And when I did get back out, my ankle was still not right and I couldn’t move quickly or easily. I was slowed right down. It was just walking a little bit at a time, step by step.
When I started to sense what I was doing at the beginning, there was a flavour in there that this was all about a payment for my hearts desires, hearts longings, all the things my heart has ached for and yearned for (Yes, I’m including relationship aspects in there). It was so interesting that even all of this fell away.
The adventure was about relationship with my own self, my own body, the aches and pains that showed up, the tender pieces that were present, the raw places, the sadness and grief that often visited, the raging Joy and the delight to rest into my own company and solitude. Absolute homecoming for all the pieces and places of myself. The utter simple connection with my own body in this local landscape. The deepening relationship to place and nature.
I didn’t have a timescale, this particular adventure would be done when it was done. However, I was quietly pleased that I completed before Summer Solstice 2021 as this felt like wrapping up, ending and completing a long chapter and being able to move forward into the next chapter on a clear fresh page.
I am in awe that I’ve walked 1000 miles (1609km) I’ve walked more than the equivalent distance of John O’Groats to Lands End and that is Beyond Amazing to me! How long it took me feels irrelevant.
I’ve walked slowly, WITH Pain, With sadness, With heartache, With All the things that have moved through and shown up. It’s not always been easy or skipping about in meadows! But I’ve Achieved this and that’s Something. That’s something to celebrate and be Proud of! Mainly, I walked alone, but occasionally a friend here or there shared a walk with me and that was so beautiful and I’m grateful.
Once upon a time, I was bedbound by chronic pain for large periods of time, now, I’ve walked 1000 miles over the strangeness of lockdown March 2020 to Summer Solstice 2021. No one witnessed me finishing this particular milestone, no one cheered, no once celebrated with me, and yet, that didn’t matter. I Noticed, I Experienced it all, I Did it, I Achieved it, I Completed it.
One chapter ends, another begins. And So… I continue moving forward. I continue to walk.