At last or now
It’s been over a year since I last wrote. Almost every day I ask myself, “Do I have something to say or is it time to bring this blog to a quiet and dignified end?”
So much has happened and I yearned to write about this past year of my life Camino, but it seemed too personal like laying out all my shit. And trust me during a gastrointestinal illness there were months of that. See that was TMI, but it was a part of my awful year. So I’ll give you the expurgated version…
*My cousin in Paris died. She had no will and she was a hoarder. I spent a month dealing with this and more than a year later there is still no resolution to her estate.
*Colds, the flu, and the above mentioned issues plagued me one after the other.
*After returning from the last camino I had tremendous pain in my knees, hips, and right shoulder. I saw a doctor and mentioned my lower extremities. He told me I had over worked my body and just needed to rest. I never mentioned the shoulder and it never got better. After 8 months of pain I had surgery. My rotator cuff was completely severed and donor tissue was needed to make the connection.
*Then the depression…Will I ever be able to walk the Camino again?
The great bright spot was the arrival of a sixth grandchild.
So amidst all the crap the arrival of this little bundle of happiness (and he is so stinking happy) I made it through this year.
Then something happened. My friend Dianne, whom I met on my first camino, wrote to tell me she was going to walk the Camino Portuguese from Porto to Santiago de Compostelle, about 170 miles. Surely I could do that. Even with a bad shoulder I could have my pack sent ahead if I couldn’t bear to carry it. I’m going to walk it.
So that’s the summation of my past year. See? There was no reason to complain about my ailments and sadness week after week. I’ve got it all out and now I can focus on training and preparing for the next camino.
I know I talk about the camino a lot and it has truly become part of who I am. After the first camino I realized that my whole life is a camino and even though I believe that to be true, I know that I’m not done with the walking. So now I’m looking forward to this fall engaging a new trail and experiencing the magic of the camino anew.
Buen Camino
One day I decided to go for a walk... 
Wow, a lot happened the past year on your side. I’m glad that you are going to walk again because this is part of you. Congratulation with your new grand child. Look after yourself and keep well. Ineke
Thank you so much. Are you still creating are to express yourself?
I still do. Doing watercolor painting and teaching 4 eight years girls how to paint. I’ve been diagnosed with Parkinsons Disease last year in February. A whole change in my life. Art helps to ease my thoughts.
I am so sorry to hear of your diagnosis. Parkinson’s is tough. Hopefully it was caught early and new treatments are being developed all the time. What a blessing you are to be teaching such youngsters to express themselves through art. You are truly talented and it’s clear that this is your passion and calling.