and all the world came tumbling in

"Listen-- are you breathing just a little and calling it life?" -Mary Oliver Sometimes I forget I forget where I left my phone I forget what time I am supposed to meet a friend for coffee I forget to put deodorant on I forget to make my bed I forget to wear my wedding rings I forget to switch the wash over I forget that there might be traffic and consequently forget to leave a bit early I forget who my fifth grade teacher was I forget to wear sunscreen I forget that it's not acceptable to pick wedgies in public, remember, and then do it anyhow But worst of all, sometimes I forget to live... It isn't as hard as it may appear at first, to live that is. Breathing has always been a simple ... read more

Day 40: Melide to Santa Irene Journal Entry-------------------- Thursday May 10th, 2012 Today was one of the best days I've had on the Camino. Just as I had stopped with a lady named Barbara from New Mexico, USA at a stand along the way, I was thinking about when I would see my four new Spanish friends again. Just then I heard my name and turned to see no other but Demi, Antonio, JuanJo and Angel. I was instantly estatic! For the rest of the long day I walked with them; only speaking Spanish, the best that I could, teaching them silly English words and of course laughing a lot. There were so many more people on the road today, and because of this we had to keep walking because there was no free space at ... read more

Day 33: Ponferrada to Villafranca Journal Entry-------------------- Thursday May 3rd, 2012 I took my time waking up this morning. I left the hostel a little after 0800, returned the room key and started walking. There were few other pilgrims that I passed in the beginning. I walked and walked and walked and somehow found myself on the alternative route into Villafranca via miles and miles of wine fields. I was all alone for the whole duration. The view was amazing... wine fields backed by mountains. I cried. It was perfect. In villafranca I checked into a private albergue. An English couple, an American and one other English man invited me to eat with them because they had cooked a lot of food. I love sitting down to dinner with different people. It's an amazing experience in ... read more

What will be, will be... Life for me is about letting go. I don't like to worry about things and I don't like to over analyze and dwell on things. Mostly I think that I don't like to feel anxious. I believe that people should be happy, because if you're not, what's the point in living? I strongly believe that there is always something that can be changed, always something that can be improved. You are in control of your own happiness. Sounds a bit contradicting from the title huh? Simply put, I believe in being happy and knowing when to just let go and not dwell on the things that you cannot change. Concentrate on the things that you can change. With a little faith (in life itself), everything will simply fall into place as ... read more

"When you Fall When you break When you feel you can't go on Keep your head Don't forget It's the pain that makes us real..." I sang these lyrics over and over again and again in my head while walking whenever I felt like I wanted to quit because of the pain that I was experiencing. The Camino is no joke. It honestly is a lot harder than I thought it would be. I think that I should stop calling it a "walk" and start calling it what it really is, which is a long term "hike." When FaceTiming my younger sister one night she asked me, "what the heck are you doing right now?" because she could see that I was doing something with my knee. I told her that I was icing my knees ... read more