My Pilgrimage
What I Learned
Seven months after my husband Bill died, I started walking the Camino de Santiago from St. Jean Pied de Port, in southern France. It was Earth Day, April 22, 2018. I prayed in ancient churches, took in beautiful landscapes, drank a lot of vino tinto, and made new friends.
I walked alone sometimes and with friends sometimes. I opened my mind and heart to the Still Small Voice. The Sacred Whisper.
I walked between 22 to 29 kilometers a day and arrived at the Cathedral in Santiago on Memorial Day, May 28, 2018.
I learned that it was time for me to simplify my life and give up on the fear of missing out.
I learned that I really only need three pairs of panties, some soap, and some moisturizer. Well, and some good boots, too, of course.
I learned I could say “yes” to the opportunities that come my way now.
I learned first hand that walking a long distance can help a woman find the strength to walk on her own two feet at her own pace of life.
We are all Pilgrims in this life. The Way gives us what we need.
A long walk calms the mind and heals the deepest of wounds.
And, it’s simply glorious freedom.
The Three Stages
It is said that the Camino de Santiago pilgrimage is made in three stages. The first breaks down your body. The second tears down your mind and opens emotions. All of this tearing and breaking and opening creates space for the final and third stage when something mysterious and new is created inside the broken places and the healing takes place.
That is how it was for me.
The Things I Carried
I carried a small stone from my backyard. I carried exhaustion and anxiety, but also a sense of adventure. I carried some pieces of jasper that my massage therapist gave me before I left, for psychic safety, she said. I carried a small vial of my husband’s ashes.
I carried a ladybug earring given to me by a young French woman as she and her husband were celebrating their first wedding anniversary. We introduced ourselves at a cafe the night before I was going to head out on the Way, and we shared stories.
“Ladybugs are for good luck,” she said, as she removed the earring from her ear at the table during dessert. She handed it to me, I received the gift, and put it in my pocket.
“Buen Camino.”
“I wish you a long and beautiful marriage,” I said, emotionally moved and very grateful.
Photo credits from top:
Laurent Fox https://www.laurentfox.com/ Sarria, Galicia, Spain.
Robyn Fisher (me) The view above Castrojeriz on the Camino de Santiago.
Maison Ziberoa https://www.ziberoa.com/index.php. St. Jean Pied de Port, France. The gateway to the Camno Frances.
A Long Walk: Lessons from the Journey
Seven months after my husband Bill died, I started walking the Camino de Santiago from St. Jean Pied de Port, in southern France. It was Earth Day, 2018. I prayed in ancient churches, took in beautiful landscapes, drank a lot of vino tinto, and made new friends. I arrived at the Cathedral at Santiago on Memorial Day.
When I returned from my time in Spain with a desire to live by the teachings of the Camino: simplicity, community and faith. Since, I have sold my home and have written a memoir, and have continued to walk the path of the peregrina.
In this inspirational presentation, I give a little history of the Camino, a history of my own crises that brought me there, and tell the stories of my days walking 15 miles a day in order to learn for myself that I can walk on my own two feet.
Listen to a sample:
