Hello All,
My best friend and I are leaving to walk our first Camino, in 11 days. We leave the states June 12th, and will begin out walk from St Jean on Friday, June 15th, with the intention to make it to Santiago by July 22nd. I have been reading this forum for about 10 months, since I made the decision to walk about 10 months ago, and this is my first post. I am a secondary high school teacher, and also work a second job to support my teaching salary. Most weeks I work between 70-80 hours. I am so looking forward to the time The Way will give me to relax and reflect, and hopefully give me some answers that I feel I really need at this point in my life. I need a time out from my hectic world, to say the least.
With that being said, I am in the stage where the panic is setting in. I love traveling, and have had the pleasure to visit many beautiful countries, but I have never taken a trip of this length and magnitude. Getting my business in order before I leave, and making sure that my most prized possessions (my two dogs) will be well taken care during my absence is pushing my control freak tendencies to the border of obsession compulsion. I have “to do” lists coming out my ears!!!! I am vacillating between extreme excitement, anxiety, panic, and find myself overcome by emotions when I least expect it.
In addition, because I my crazy work schedule, I have not been able to prepare like I had intended to do. While I have been able to hike and walk enough to break in my hiking shoes, and take a few practice hikes and walks with my full pack, I feel like my preparation has not been what I hoped it to be when I committed, 10 months ago. However, our plan is to go slow and easy, taking as many breaks as we need. We have already booked our stop in Orrison to break up the first stage.
I really just wanted to submit a post giving thanks to all of you for the knowledge I have been able to ascertain from reading the multitude of posts. Thanks again!
My best friend and I are leaving to walk our first Camino, in 11 days. We leave the states June 12th, and will begin out walk from St Jean on Friday, June 15th, with the intention to make it to Santiago by July 22nd. I have been reading this forum for about 10 months, since I made the decision to walk about 10 months ago, and this is my first post. I am a secondary high school teacher, and also work a second job to support my teaching salary. Most weeks I work between 70-80 hours. I am so looking forward to the time The Way will give me to relax and reflect, and hopefully give me some answers that I feel I really need at this point in my life. I need a time out from my hectic world, to say the least.
With that being said, I am in the stage where the panic is setting in. I love traveling, and have had the pleasure to visit many beautiful countries, but I have never taken a trip of this length and magnitude. Getting my business in order before I leave, and making sure that my most prized possessions (my two dogs) will be well taken care during my absence is pushing my control freak tendencies to the border of obsession compulsion. I have “to do” lists coming out my ears!!!! I am vacillating between extreme excitement, anxiety, panic, and find myself overcome by emotions when I least expect it.
In addition, because I my crazy work schedule, I have not been able to prepare like I had intended to do. While I have been able to hike and walk enough to break in my hiking shoes, and take a few practice hikes and walks with my full pack, I feel like my preparation has not been what I hoped it to be when I committed, 10 months ago. However, our plan is to go slow and easy, taking as many breaks as we need. We have already booked our stop in Orrison to break up the first stage.
I really just wanted to submit a post giving thanks to all of you for the knowledge I have been able to ascertain from reading the multitude of posts. Thanks again!
