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Was Your Camino Life-changing?

Time of past OR future Camino
Frances (16,'17,'18)
Finisterre/Muxia( '17, '18)
Portuguese Central & Coastal ('18)
Hi, friends. I'm sharing my blog, Beyond Borders on the Camino, and hope you'll contribute a comment about your experiences of Coming Home and if and how your Camino was Life-changing. You can click here Beyond Borders on the Camino , (also at end of this note) read my post and write a comment at the end of the entry or just answer here. I would love to share your comments or brief paragraphs in a future blog post. I've returned home twice and each time was different, and yes, life-changing. So far a few comments have been posted and each pilgrim had a different experience in their Camino after-life. Here's one thing I know: I am always on Camino. I will always be a pilgrim. However you experienced Re-entry, please share and lots of Pilgrims who are in the "planning" stages or have their own stories to tell would love to read yours. With gratitude and Buen Camino, Irene

https://beyondbordersonthecamino.wordpress.com/2017/11/29/was-your-camino-life-changing/
 
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My Camino activity has been life defining... my life ends with what I always liked to do; as a student I did month long walks with my rucksack in Scotland, Ireland, Wales & England
Then started to work endlessly, got children, got cancer, got got rid of it.. and now gotten alive again by taking up walking.
I was always interested in people, it become my job, working with refugees, with children, with special needs clients in teaching and everyday care, and there is no better place to commune with people than on the Camino, with people of every sorts, most of them happy to both broadcast and to receive. I have met so many heroes every year I walk, age is no encumbrance, it seems, resilience is a hallmark ...
It has improved my posture, improved my asthma, even my life long troublesome flatfooted ness, I now have a better, almost perfect wet footprint, coming right out of the bath than I have ever had before....
It is defining what I have always done and always wanted to do, to go to the horizon and see what is beyond the next bend and hilltop...to become a better version of myself..
I even got my first tattoo as a pilgrim. After coming home I placed a small scallop in stencil on my left shin and on my left shoulder, not to broadcast, but to say to everyone who already knows the meaning of the scallop; "Hello Pilgrim, See Ya down the Road apiece !"
 
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Thank you so much, @Stivandrer, for sharing your very meaningful reply. I really connect with your descriptions of daily life, of walking and how you have changed after the Camino and I know other readers will, too. I hope to post and share your story. And I love your scallop shell story, "Hello Pilgrim, See ya down the Road apiece!" Beautiful! Buen Camino. Irene
 
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I think that "life resetting" is better than "life changing". My life didn't change as a result of walking the Camino. But, I did do back to simpler thinking. You learn that people are defined by what they say and believe rather than some arbitrary label (like where they come from or what they look like). You learn that your what your feet feel like, where you're next meal will be, and where you will spend the night become much more important than world events or other cares that used to take first place. You also learn about the sounds that a million leaves make in the wind and how great a walk in the pouring rain can be. You get to thank a lot of people that you may never meet again for providing thoughts, laughter, and companionship. You get to feel closer to someone that you spent a day with than many of your closest friends back home. It returns you to the ideal that people, when reduced to being people and pulled away from all the distractions of daily life can be entirely good, self sacrificing, and worthy. Maybe that's being a bit naive but maybe that's what we really need.
 
I'll put my oar into the Camino waters. For me, walking the Camino was life-affirming. With very few exceptions, the people I met along the way were open, generous and kind. I extend this to the pilgrims, shop keepers and hostel staff. I rarely heard harsh words and people overall were just good to each other. It was also a break away from the often depressing world news. On the trails we met positive people who helpedand supported each other despite differences in language, culture and upbringing. It affirmed for me that there is good in the world and we don't have to travel particularly far to find it.
 
'Life changing' is maybe a little over the top for me. It certainly opened my eyes to looking at the world in a different way. If anything after four Camino walks I realized I did not need a lot to be happy. I really did not miss much from home while on my walks. So if anything, I think I learned to be a lot less materialistic. Enjoying experiences rather than accumulating more stuff.
I think the attraction of continuing to go on Camino walks is the simplicity it offers.
Certainly it is our preferred type of travel now versus typical resort holidays or cruises, neither of which are of much interest to us anymore.
 
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I think that "life resetting" is better than "life changing". My life didn't change as a result of walking the Camino. But, I did do back to simpler thinking. You learn that people are defined by what they say and believe rather than some arbitrary label (like where they come from or what they look like). You learn that your what your feet feel like, where you're next meal will be, and where you will spend the night become much more important than world events or other cares that used to take first place. You also learn about the sounds that a million leaves make in the wind and how great a walk in the pouring rain can be. You get to thank a lot of people that you may never meet again for providing thoughts, laughter, and companionship. You get to feel closer to someone that you spent a day with than many of your closest friends back home. It returns you to the ideal that people, when reduced to being people and pulled away from all the distractions of daily life can be entirely good, self sacrificing, and worthy. Maybe that's being a bit naive but maybe that's what we really need.

Thank you, @John Sikora, for a your description of "life resetting." I, too, have reset my life after the Camino. I believe my Camino was life-changing the second time, but life resetting the first time. And "You also learn about the sounds that a million leaves make in the wind and how great a walk in the pouring rain can be," is a beautiful description of how we can pay attention fully to our walking life when we are "pulled away from the distractions..." Gratitude for your contribution and sharing your story. Buen Camino, Irene
 
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I'll put my oar into the Camino waters. For me, walking the Camino was life-affirming. With very few exceptions, the people I met along the way were open, generous and kind. I extend this to the pilgrims, shop keepers and hostel staff. I rarely heard harsh words and people overall were just good to each other. It was also a break away from the often depressing world news. On the trails we met positive people who helpedand supported each other despite differences in language, culture and upbringing. It affirmed for me that there is good in the world and we don't have to travel particularly far to find it.

Thank you, @Man in Black. Another great description: "Life-affirming" and "that there is good in the world and we don't have to travel particularly far to find it." I think you speak for many pilgrims. I see that you have just returned in the past few months, so enjoy the re-entry and your post-Camino life. Gratitude for sharing your story. Buen Camino, Irene
 
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'Life changing' is maybe a little over the top for me. It certainly opened my eyes to looking at the world in a different way. If anything after four Camino walks I realized I did not need a lot to be happy. I really did not miss much from home while on my walks. So if anything, I think I learned to be a lot less materialistic. Enjoying experiences rather than accumulating more stuff.
I think the attraction of continuing to go on Camino walks is the simplicity it offers.
Certainly it is our preferred type of travel now versus typical resort holidays or cruises, neither of which are of much interest to us anymore.
Thank you, @zrexer for your reply. I, too, loved the simplicity of the Camino and the way we can enjoy the experience and not collect more stuff. Gratitude for sharing. Buen Camino, Irene
 
Thanks for asking the good questions. Overall, I don't see the camino as life-changing. However, as a person with non-religious beliefs I had what I consider "an spiritual awakening" in the Convento de las Hijas de la Caridad, in Rabé de las Calzadas. Have a Feliz Navidad, y que la luz de Dios alumbre su camino.
 
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Thanks for asking the good questions. Overall, I don't see the camino as life-changing. However, as a person with non-religious beliefs I had what I consider "an spiritual awakening" in the Convento de las Hijas de la Caridad, in Rabé de las Calzadas. Have a Feliz Navidad, y que la luz de Dios alumbre su camino.

Gracias, @Sailor, for sharing your "awakening" as I can also identify with that amazing experience on the Camino. My spiritual awakening was on the way to Cruz de Ferro. Gratitude for the reminder of the different ways we experience the Camino. Feliz Año Nuevo, mi amigo. Buen Camino.
 
Yes, for my wife and me it was life changing. It became a part of our identity. It redefined our relationship and how we approach relationships with others. Rather than continue I will share my 2013 reflection written the day we left Spain to return home:

May 31st. Tir Na Nog (Gaelic for "The Land of Youth")
""Second to the Right, and Straight on till Morning." That, Peter had told Wendy, was the way to Neverland." (From "Peter Pan", by J. M. Barrie)
Scarcely could there be better directions to The Camino. I have learned that it is not so much a place, although it is a place, as it is a Way. It is not learned in a book or in a video, it is an experience that unfolds within. The things which were important at the start; selection of equipment, route planning, communications, became laughingly insignificant. Destination yielded to Journey. Appreciation for the qualities of those dear to you came into sharper focus. One's "guard" began to drop, and thus the door to friendship opened wider. Expectations gave way to Acceptance.
For others, The Camino may have remained a vacation, or an adventure, or an item checked off of a bucket list, but for me the Camino was a blossoming rebirth of the happiness, innocence, and affections found in childhood. My Camino also came complete with pain, discomfort, and anxieties, but without these things there could have been no growth or appreciation of the Camino's "gifts". These gifts included the cacophony of sights, sounds, smells, textures... a veritable feast for the senses. These gifts included intense spiritual experiences, and of course friendships which were the Expresso of a morning cup of coffee; deep, intense, rich, but fleeting.
At the grave risk of inadvertent omission, I acknowledge those friendships at the end of this note... the people who gave my Camino special dimension. We shared the path, a glass of wine (Vino Tinto!), a Perigrino menu, an Alberge (and the attendant lack of privacy that comes with it), and of course the hearty declaration, "Buen Camino!"
These were friendships that carried the uncertainty of not knowing if a parting would be followed by a separation of a day, a week, or a lifetime. Each reunion on the Camino was often unexpected, and carried with it the mutual and unadorned joy that is more typical of a grandchild's excitement at seeing a long absent, beloved, grandparent. For an adult, this unreserved affection is a rare gift.
Is it any wonder that my hesitation may be misunderstood when I am asked, "So how was the Camino?". What can I possibly say that does justice to the question, and the experience?
I carried my backpack over 800 km on the Camino. Difficult at first, but it soon became second nature. I have wondered what I might carry with me from the Camino into everyday life. During an evening religious service in Rabanal, a monk urged us to be mindful that Christ walked the Camino. He added that Jesus was disguised as a Pilgrim, and that He was always careful not to announce His identity. The message worked on me as I found myself thinking, "What if she..., or he...?", as I passed Pilgrims here and there on The Way. I became a bit more sincere when I said "Buen Camino", perhaps a little kinder, a tad less inclined to judge, more patient. Perhaps that is the best thing for me to carry forth from the Camino, that the spirit of Christ is within each of us, and that I should act accordingly. There is more that deserves to be preserved in my life from the Camino. Childlike wonder that we are all born with, and which was stirred anew early on The Way, should not be allowed to dim. Each day should be a search for a new joy, and when found it should be shared with someone. There is within each of us the capacity to do our best, and in that to then do great good. Happiness has its source in these things, and when found gives one's soul wings...
From Peter Pan: (Wendy's daughter, Jane, to Wendy) "What do you see now?"
(Wendy) "I don't think that I see anything tonight."
"Yes you do, you see when you were a little girl."
"That is a long time ago, sweetheart.. Ah me, how time flies!"
"Does it fly, the way you flew when you were a little girl?"
"... Do you know, Jane, I sometimes wonder whether I ever really did fly."
"... Why can't you fly now, mother?"
"Because I am grown up, dearest. When people grow up they forget the way."

May I never forget... "The Way".
Love to you all. Have Fun, Do Good, and Be Safe! Buen Camino!!
Peter Schloss.
Dedication: To You, who I name, and those who I forget to name, the Camino wove you into the fabric of my life. Please do not underestimate your contribution... or my gratitude: Kris, Maggie, Bernard, Roberto, John, Jackobien, Henk, Christine, Gabby, Sabrina, Paul, Martin, Heika, Ed, Sam, Brent, Tony, Geraldine, Jenni, Jack, David, Carole, Jerri, Ramona, Kalina, Regina, Alan, Deb, Dick, Bonnie, John, Patricia, Philip, Alex, Vickie, Kate, Deb, Patrick, Karin, Sven, Claudia, Nathalie, Jay, Mark, Chance, Olivia, Stephanie, Marcia, Tess, Lisa, Rose, Mike, Angie, Marianne, Gurtz, Javier, Jessica, Marign, Una, Eric, Andre, Raphael, Begonia, Neus, a Monk, a barber, a Pilgrim from the 11th Century...
and of course, to my very good wife, Christine.
Some of you will read this, but for others this dedication will be a message in a bottle. If in reading this you can pass it on to another who might not otherwise receive it, then the bottle will reach its shore.
Pete

2017 Post Script: We depart this coming March to walk the Portuguese.
 
Yes, for my wife and me it was life changing. It became a part of our identity. It redefined our relationship and how we approach relationships with others. Rather than continue I will share my 2013 reflection written the day we left Spain to return home:

May 31st. Tir Na Nog (Gaelic for "The Land of Youth")
""Second to the Right, and Straight on till Morning." That, Peter had told Wendy, was the way to Neverland." (From "Peter Pan", by J. M. Barrie)
Scarcely could there be better directions to The Camino. I have learned that it is not so much a place, although it is a place, as it is a Way. It is not learned in a book or in a video, it is an experience that unfolds within. The things which were important at the start; selection of equipment, route planning, communications, became laughingly insignificant. Destination yielded to Journey. Appreciation for the qualities of those dear to you came into sharper focus. One's "guard" began to drop, and thus the door to friendship opened wider. Expectations gave way to Acceptance.
For others, The Camino may have remained a vacation, or an adventure, or an item checked off of a bucket list, but for me the Camino was a blossoming rebirth of the happiness, innocence, and affections found in childhood. My Camino also came complete with pain, discomfort, and anxieties, but without these things there could have been no growth or appreciation of the Camino's "gifts". These gifts included the cacophony of sights, sounds, smells, textures... a veritable feast for the senses. These gifts included intense spiritual experiences, and of course friendships which were the Expresso of a morning cup of coffee; deep, intense, rich, but fleeting.
At the grave risk of inadvertent omission, I acknowledge those friendships at the end of this note... the people who gave my Camino special dimension. We shared the path, a glass of wine (Vino Tinto!), a Perigrino menu, an Alberge (and the attendant lack of privacy that comes with it), and of course the hearty declaration, "Buen Camino!"
These were friendships that carried the uncertainty of not knowing if a parting would be followed by a separation of a day, a week, or a lifetime. Each reunion on the Camino was often unexpected, and carried with it the mutual and unadorned joy that is more typical of a grandchild's excitement at seeing a long absent, beloved, grandparent. For an adult, this unreserved affection is a rare gift.
Is it any wonder that my hesitation may be misunderstood when I am asked, "So how was the Camino?". What can I possibly say that does justice to the question, and the experience?
I carried my backpack over 800 km on the Camino. Difficult at first, but it soon became second nature. I have wondered what I might carry with me from the Camino into everyday life. During an evening religious service in Rabanal, a monk urged us to be mindful that Christ walked the Camino. He added that Jesus was disguised as a Pilgrim, and that He was always careful not to announce His identity. The message worked on me as I found myself thinking, "What if she..., or he...?", as I passed Pilgrims here and there on The Way. I became a bit more sincere when I said "Buen Camino", perhaps a little kinder, a tad less inclined to judge, more patient. Perhaps that is the best thing for me to carry forth from the Camino, that the spirit of Christ is within each of us, and that I should act accordingly. There is more that deserves to be preserved in my life from the Camino. Childlike wonder that we are all born with, and which was stirred anew early on The Way, should not be allowed to dim. Each day should be a search for a new joy, and when found it should be shared with someone. There is within each of us the capacity to do our best, and in that to then do great good. Happiness has its source in these things, and when found gives one's soul wings...
From Peter Pan: (Wendy's daughter, Jane, to Wendy) "What do you see now?"
(Wendy) "I don't think that I see anything tonight."
"Yes you do, you see when you were a little girl."
"That is a long time ago, sweetheart.. Ah me, how time flies!"
"Does it fly, the way you flew when you were a little girl?"
"... Do you know, Jane, I sometimes wonder whether I ever really did fly."
"... Why can't you fly now, mother?"
"Because I am grown up, dearest. When people grow up they forget the way."

May I never forget... "The Way".
Love to you all. Have Fun, Do Good, and Be Safe! Buen Camino!!
Peter Schloss.
Dedication: To You, who I name, and those who I forget to name, the Camino wove you into the fabric of my life. Please do not underestimate your contribution... or my gratitude: Kris, Maggie, Bernard, Roberto, John, Jackobien, Henk, Christine, Gabby, Sabrina, Paul, Martin, Heika, Ed, Sam, Brent, Tony, Geraldine, Jenni, Jack, David, Carole, Jerri, Ramona, Kalina, Regina, Alan, Deb, Dick, Bonnie, John, Patricia, Philip, Alex, Vickie, Kate, Deb, Patrick, Karin, Sven, Claudia, Nathalie, Jay, Mark, Chance, Olivia, Stephanie, Marcia, Tess, Lisa, Rose, Mike, Angie, Marianne, Gurtz, Javier, Jessica, Marign, Una, Eric, Andre, Raphael, Begonia, Neus, a Monk, a barber, a Pilgrim from the 11th Century...
and of course, to my very good wife, Christine.
Some of you will read this, but for others this dedication will be a message in a bottle. If in reading this you can pass it on to another who might not otherwise receive it, then the bottle will reach its shore.
Pete

2017 Post Script: We depart this coming March to walk the Portuguese.

Dear Pete (@PMSLAW) What a meaningful reflection from your 2013 Camino! So much wisdom and gratitude. And I love how you connect with Neverland and J.M. Barrie, Peter Pan. Not only fun, but wise and metaphorical, just right for the Camino and the transformative, spiritual and forever experience your describe. I would love to print some of your story in my blog. Thank you for sharing. Have you left and returned on your last Camino to Portugal? Or is that coming up? Gratitude, Irene
 
€2,-/day will present your project to thousands of visitors each day. All interested in the Camino de Santiago.
Dear Pete (@PMSLAW) What a meaningful reflection from your 2013 Camino! So much wisdom and gratitude. And I love how you connect with Neverland and J.M. Barrie, Peter Pan. Not only fun, but wise and metaphorical, just right for the Camino and the transformative, spiritual and forever experience your describe. I would love to print some of your story in my blog. Thank you for sharing. Have you left and returned on your last Camino to Portugal? Or is that coming up? Gratitude, Irene
Thank you so much Irene. We depart for Portugal in March. We cross the Atlantic by boat, arrive in Barcelona, and then train to Lisbon and Porto. We plan to be in Europe for 3 months and hope to also walk in Ireland and Scotland.
Be well and Buen Camino.
(PS: feel free to quote from my reflection. Pete)
 
Hi, friends. I'm sharing my blog, Beyond Borders on the Camino, and hope you'll contribute a comment about your experiences of Coming Home and if and how your Camino was Life-changing. You can click here Beyond Borders on the Camino , (also at end of this note) read my post and write a comment at the end of the entry or just answer here. I would love to share your comments or brief paragraphs in a future blog post. I've returned home twice and each time was different, and yes, life-changing. So far a few comments have been posted and each pilgrim had a different experience in their Camino after-life. Here's one thing I know: I am always on Camino. I will always be a pilgrim. However you experienced Re-entry, please share and lots of Pilgrims who are in the "planning" stages or have their own stories to tell would love to read yours. With gratitude and Buen Camino, Irene

https://beyondbordersonthecamino.wordpress.com/2017/11/29/was-your-camino-life-changing/

Do I think the Camino was life-changing? It sounds too grandiose at first glance, but upon reflection, I think my decision to embark on the journey marked a changing point within me. It allowed me to touch base with myself again, in a really pure and wonderful way. It taught me how strong I am; my perseverance through physical pain truly surprised me. It put me in touch with so many wonderful people and reminded me that the world is ultimately good even when it doesn't always feel that way.

Since my first Camino, I've been on a second, am planning a third and realize I might be addicted! I love the freedom I feel when I'm walking. I love being a minimalist and have really changed my daily life because of it. So maybe I was ready for a change or a realignment when I embarked on my first Camino, but my life really has become richer since I took that first step.
 
St James' Way - Self-guided 4-7 day Walking Packages, Reading to Southampton, 110 kms
Thank you, @John Sikora, for a your description of "life resetting." I, too, have reset my life after the Camino. I believe my Camino was life-changing the second time, but life resetting the first time. And "You also learn about the sounds that a million leaves make in the wind and how great a walk in the pouring rain can be," is a beautiful description of how we can pay attention fully to our walking life when we are "pulled away from the distractions..." Gratitude for your contribution and sharing your story. Buen Camino, Irene

I feel "life resetting" is a good description for myself as well. I find that I have approached things differently...... greater levels of understanding, generally when talking with others, being more open and also practising listening more deeply, and sensing feelings in a more meaningful way. Let me put that into context, because it sounds as if I had no time for anyone before, which is simply not true. I have found it easier on the Camino and afterwards to encourage others to talk about what was troubling them, and what was troubling me, whereas I always found it a struggle before. Many of those we met on the Camino were going through, or had experienced recently, life changing events, emotionally and physically, often within relationships. We have not. The Camino for us was a challenge, a bucket list item (to do something different), an opportunity for quiet reflective times and experiences. We both have a strong christian faith, but it is not Catholic. I wondered what this might mean on a pilgrim walk that was primarily based on RC faith and history. We found that we affirmed that denomination really does not matter (exactly what we prayed and hoped for) , it is faith that matters, not how you come to it. I was over whelmed by the friendliness and commitment of all those we met, christian and non-christian alike. Try going into a coffee shop or bar elsewhere and try starting talking to those around you. I did this in an innocent subconscious sort of way ( because it was a natural occurrence for 6 weeks) when we got back and was met with stony silence, it makes you want to encourage individuals to get out more ( I didn't, it would have been rude). But it did make you realise what you had gained.

In one of the threads here someone commented that walking the Camino, and all that that means will not magically change you, which I believe wholeheartedly, but wait six months and Re-evaluate. I'm beginning to see that, and it's exciting. I do hope that all who read this post feel the same.
 
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Do I think the Camino was life-changing? It sounds too grandiose at first glance, but upon reflection, I think my decision to embark on the journey marked a changing point within me. It allowed me to touch base with myself again, in a really pure and wonderful way. It taught me how strong I am; my perseverance through physical pain truly surprised me. It put me in touch with so many wonderful people and reminded me that the world is ultimately good even when it doesn't always feel that way.

Since my first Camino, I've been on a second, am planning a third and realize I might be addicted! I love the freedom I feel when I'm walking. I love being a minimalist and have really changed my daily life because of it. So maybe I was ready for a change or a realignment when I embarked on my first Camino, but my life really has become richer since I took that first step.
Thank you, @Quinranda, for adding to the conversation. Another description, "realignment" is one so many will identify with and yes, "addicted" in the best way possible. I could have written your reply: being a minimalist, really does change our lives. Buen Camino, Irene
 
Walked my first Camino in 1999 now living in Santiago maintaining a wee pilgrim rescue place at http://egeria.house/contact/

What was your question again ;-) Buen Camino de la Vida, SY
@SYates, thank you for your reply. I follow your posts and your publications and yes! Your Camino continues to be life changing! Really, what a question! It seems that you "rescue" pilgrims as a life's work. With gratitude, Irene
 
A selection of Camino Jewellery
We found that we affirmed that denomination really does not matter (exactly what we prayed and hoped for) , it is faith that matters, not how you come to it. I was over whelmed by the friendliness and commitment of all those we met, christian and non-christian alike
Thank you, @CaptNoglos for sharing your "life resetting" experiences. We are each so different after our journeys, yet you identify some basic changes. I, too, believe "faith" is beyond one religion and personal. Am I "getting " your interpretation? I hope you continue your Camino way of starting conversations with the new people you meet, as one of the wonderful surprises is that some will actually reply and engage in conversation. We never know, just like on the Camino, who we will touch with kindness. Buen Camino, Irene
 
Thank you so much Irene. We depart for Portugal in March. We cross the Atlantic by boat, arrive in Barcelona, and then train to Lisbon and Porto. We plan to be in Europe for 3 months and hope to also walk in Ireland and Scotland.
Be well and Buen Camino.
(PS: feel free to quote from my reflection. Pete)
Buen Camino, Pete. Thank you. Wishing you a safe crossing and another "life changing" Camino. Ultreia, Irene
 
Hi Irene,

After my Camino I moved my family and I from Australia to Santiago de Compostela to do my podcast around the Camino!!

So yeah, it certainly changed my life.

Buen Camino!

Brendan :)
 
Ideal sleeping bag liner whether we want to add a thermal plus to our bag, or if we want to use it alone to sleep in shelters or hostels. Thanks to its mummy shape, it adapts perfectly to our body.

€46,-
Hi Irene,

After my Camino I moved my family and I from Australia to Santiago de Compostela to do my podcast around the Camino!!

So yeah, it certainly changed my life.

Buen Camino!

Brendan :)
@brenda
Hi Irene,

After my Camino I moved my family and I from Australia to Santiago de Compostela to do my podcast around the Camino!!

So yeah, it certainly changed my life.

Buen Camino!

Brendan :)
So glad to hear from you, Brendan! What a story. You’ve walked a long way! Life-changing for you and your family, and for many of your podcast listeners and fans. I’m a subscriber and have treasured every episode. Thank you for widening the horizons of listeners everywhere. Wishing you and your family a Buen Camino in your new home and life’s journey. Irene
 
@brenda

So glad to hear from you, Brendan! What a story. You’ve walked a long way! Life-changing for you and your family, and for many of your podcast listeners and fans. I’m a subscriber and have treasured every episode. Thank you for widening the horizons of listeners everywhere. Wishing you and your family a Buen Camino in your new home and life’s journey. Irene


Thanks Irene!

Its been a challenge at times but one that I had to do... the Camino called me and as a fellow Pilgrim I am sure you understand what I am talking about...

Have a wonderful 2018 & Buen Camino!!
 
Hi, friends. I'm sharing my blog, Beyond Borders on the Camino, and hope you'll contribute a comment about your experiences of Coming Home and if and how your Camino was Life-changing. You can click here Beyond Borders on the Camino , (also at end of this note) read my post and write a comment at the end of the entry or just answer here. I would love to share your comments or brief paragraphs in a future blog post. I've returned home twice and each time was different, and yes, life-changing. So far a few comments have been posted and each pilgrim had a different experience in their Camino after-life. Here's one thing I know: I am always on Camino. I will always be a pilgrim. However you experienced Re-entry, please share and lots of Pilgrims who are in the "planning" stages or have their own stories to tell would love to read yours. With gratitude and Buen Camino, Irene

https://beyondbordersonthecamino.wordpress.com/2017/11/29/was-your-camino-life-changing/
 
Ideal sleeping bag liner whether we want to add a thermal plus to our bag, or if we want to use it alone to sleep in shelters or hostels. Thanks to its mummy shape, it adapts perfectly to our body.

€46,-
Even though I only walked a part of the Camino in Spain, my walk has continued here at home in NC. I walked off the Camino and straight into a spiritual director training program. So, the journey continues and has given me an even stronger sense of adventure and competence.
 
@Jean Costa

You know the greetings:

"In a tradition that was first recorded in the venerable Codex Calixtinus in the eleventh century, the pilgrim shouts “ultreïa!” and his fellow pilgrim responds “et suseïa!”

“Ultreïa” means something like “go further” or “to the end”.

“Et suseïa” means something like “and go higher” or even “and beyond the end”. "

(http://www.thomryng.com/camino/ultreia-et-suseia/)

It seems that you are doing just that....
 
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Even though I only walked a part of the Camino in Spain, my walk has continued here at home in NC. I walked off the Camino and straight into a spiritual director training program. So, the journey continues and has given me an even stronger sense of adventure and competence.
I'm so glad you shared how your Camino continued when you returned, @Jean Costa. I think the Camino, for each pilgrim, is so individual, so lasting, and I believe it doesn't depend on the kilometers or distance, but on the walk itself and how you experience and process this unique and spiritual "adventure." Ultreia, Irene
 
St James' Way - Self-guided 4-7 day Walking Packages, Reading to Southampton, 110 kms
My Camino activity has been life defining... my life ends with what I always liked to do; as a student I did month long walks with my rucksack in Scotland, Ireland, Wales & England
Then started to work endlessly, got children, got cancer, got got rid of it.. and now gotten alive again by taking up walking.
I was always interested in people, it become my job, working with refugees, with children, with special needs clients in teaching and everyday care, and there is no better place to commune with people than on the Camino, with people of every sorts, most of them happy to both broadcast and to receive. I have met so many heroes every year I walk, age is no encumbrance, it seems, resilience is a hallmark ...
It has improved my posture, improved my asthma, even my life long troublesome flatfooted ness, I now have a better, almost perfect wet footprint, coming right out of the bath than I have ever had before....
It is defining what I have always done and always wanted to do, to go to the horizon and see what is beyond the next bend and hilltop...to become a better version of myself..
I even got my first tattoo as a pilgrim. After coming home I placed a small scallop in stencil on my left shin and on my left shoulder, not to broadcast, but to say to everyone who already knows the meaning of the scallop; "Hello Pilgrim, See Ya down the Road apiece !"
Wonderful, Stivander! Thank you for your share. I am going to my first Camino this April / May and I'm already excited. :)
 
Nine years after my first Camino, I'm still suffering from PTSD -- Post Transcendental Stress Disorder. I'm learning to deal with it, but I do not want to be cured of it.
 
Reading this thread 3 years after coming home from my 2nd Caminho, in Portugal, having done the Spanish walk in 2 stages in 2015. Completing 5 years in the same city, Tacoma, Wa. Was prompted to actually count the number of places I have lived long enough to have a mailing address; it’s 16. 7 states, 3 countries. Realizing that in a very real way the Caminos were a home not like any other. And this Forum a kind of home and family. Will be ruminating on all this for awhile, as I recognize that at 88 I’m unlikely to move again. Gratitude to all of you who are closer in some ways than any of my biological family! Am walking every day, living near a large park in a walkable neighborhood. So keep on trekking and sharing the journey that this life is! 🤗
 
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