Be Prepared to Say Yes

I have a dream list and I am ready to say yes to whatever is on it! In April 2022, my friend Teri, invited me to join her on the Camino de Santiago in September and I was ready to say yes because travel to Spain was on my dream list. I have no bucket list. I have had a dream list for 45 years. An 8- day trip walking in Spain sounded great and I said yes. Now I had to learn what this was all about and what I needed to do to get there. A college friend of Teri’s organized the trip and we had monthly video calls. I was relieved to learn that we were not all walking together, following someone holding up a pink flamingo or umbrella. I would not be all in a line like Madeline.

The Camino de Santiago is a spiritual pilgrimage, that follows the path of St James, the Apostle, to where his body rests in the Cathedral Santiago de Compostela in Spain. It is open to people of all faiths and beliefs. I was ready to let go of the comforts of home, the familiar routine, and the ego. I yearned for this walking meditation and time to hear that still small voice of my higher power.

I needed to prepare!  We planned. We set goals, bought stuff like backpacks, hiking pants, sunscreen, and the book, A Pilgrim’s Guide to the Camino Portugues. We walked 3 miles to Starbucks, had coffee, and walked back. We walked 10 miles once a week, then 10 miles twice a week. We filled out the health form required for entrance to Spain, bought airline tickets, and learned about the villages we would visit. We wanted to qualify for the certificate of completion in Santiago de Compostela and this required a properly stamped booklet with at least 100 miles logged. I envisioned myself with an open heart, making new friends, feeling strong, and connecting to God.

Teri and I flew to Madrid in early September 2022, enjoyed the city, dipped churros in hot chocolate, and recovered from jet lag. We met a few people making the journey with us at the oldest restaurant in Spain.  It is the first time this vegetarian saw a pig’s head come with dinner. We traveled to the start of our journey in Tui, Spain and met with our group. After brief introductions we played a game to find the person(s) who lived in California, hiked Machu Pichu, took a gap year to live in Europe after retirement, was an exchange student in Nigeria… I quickly learned that I was among enthusiastic, healthy, fit people and I couldn’t wait to get to know them better.

That evening, Teri and I walked for 4 hours looking for the start of the Camino. A kind local woman told us to look down and showed us one of the yellow shells on the ground. Sometimes the way was marked by a sign on a wall or a little concrete monument with a yellow shell. I didn’t know this is be a treasure hunt! Once, we walked for a while without seeing any sign. A woman came running out of a shop and directed us back about half a mile. There, the sidewalk was yellow. Who knew that each town had their own way marking? Follow the yellow brick road!

We walked the Central Way through Spain along the border with Portugal. We walked through heavily wooded, old forests; large, open meadows; farms with horses and cattle grazing; and beneath trellises loaded with grape vines. I loved the villages with the groups of people congregating on the street or in a square loaded with cafes. We walked in the hot sun and pouring rain. We covered 100 miles in 6 days.

We met people from many countries always greeting one another with “Buon Camino”. Sometimes we talked briefly, sometimes we talked for hours. A computer programmer from Ukraine shared how his work as a consultant in Spain saved him from being drafted. He made sure we knew it was a war and that the Ukrainians would not stop until they won. He shared about his family in Ukraine and his concerns for their lives. We met a group of people from multiple countries who had met at hostels and come together as a family, looking out for one another. A woman from Duesseldorf and I chatted about our love for the city after I told her I had lived there for 4 years. She kindly said that my German was very good. A young Swedish woman exclaimed that she couldn’t believe Americans only got two weeks’ vacation when starting a job.  A couple of women from Malaysia were delighted that Teri’s children had gone to school in the village they came from. Often, we shared why we were walking the Camino. Usually, people shared a spiritual motive; the walk was a spiritual journey, a way to get closer to God, a metaphor for their walk with God. We shared from the heart and differences disappeared. We were in this together.

Always, we found a café where we could get a cup of coffee and a pastry. We had to try the famous Santiago Cake, Torta de Santiago- an almond cake covered with powdered sugar imprinted with a cross. In Padrón, we ordered the Padrón peppers; some were hot, some were not. They made me laugh. We were always greeted warmly. We often joined people we had met up with before or people from our group. Sometimes we had a big meal at 3 in the afternoon and ice cream later for dinner.

Our only goal each day was to follow the path, marked by a yellow shell and walk. Most of the time, I felt totally in the moment and at peace. I came away with a deep feeling of connection to others, to God, and to nature. My heart is open, I have new friends, I am strong! And, for that I am grateful. I am ready to say yes to my next adventure! Are you ready for your next adventure?

Whatever your age or stage, you can have an amazing life! What did you want to be when you grew up? At 46, Caroline couldn’t think of three dreams for her future. She spent years as a school administrator. In a Visionary Women’s Mastermind, Caroline remembered that she had wanted to be an interior designer. She quit her job, sold her house, and enrolled in a school of design in Manhattan. She led a successful interior design business for 20 years and now runs a B&B and gets to meet interesting people from all over the world. Her life is not only extraordinary for what she is doing but for who she has become. At 79, she is warm, loving, gracious, grateful, and full of vitality! I am grateful to call her my friend.

At retirement age, we ponder the next stage. We may think that we don’t have time when most of us will live a bonus 20-30 years past retirement. When we are younger, we think we don’t have enough money, we don’t know how to do something, we don’t know the right people. As we grow, we get the money, we have knowledge and skills, and we have a network of people who stand ready to help us.

In the first phase of the Transformation Journey we explore all the possibilities for an extraordinary, abundant life. Call forth your creativity and direct the inner critic to step aside. Explore your vision and dreams for the future. See all the possibilities and you will have an abundant supply of dreams. Imagine that life is a buffet of choices and pick the options that align with your core values. Surround yourself with people and things that inspire and support you. Imagine that you will succeed and you will!  

“Your boldest dreams are God’s invitation to the greatest adventure of your life and they come to you because they  are for you. Your dreams are placed in your soul as a pathway to releasing your potential and awakening your  purpose for being. ”  

— July/Aug 2013 Daily Word by Kevin Kitrell Ross

Benefits of a Vision

A vision improves performance, forms the basis of a plan, motivates you to excel, and provides focus and direction. Leaders, athletes, and successful people from all walks of life have realized the benefits of creating a vision. A vision serves as a beacon, beckoning one to a better future. It inspires and ignites enthusiasm. It enables you to see and attract opportunities that align with your goals.
Conrad Hilton imagined a string of hotels across the country when he was 12. Jean Claude Killy, the Olympic skier, saw himself winning three gold medals and became the first to realize this achievement. Research shows that leaders and organizations with vision outperform those without vision. Tom Watson, the founder of IBM, was once asked what he attributed the phenomenal success of his company to and he said it was three things. First, he created a very clear image in his mind of what he wanted his company to look like. Second, he asked himself how a company like that must act daily. Then, he put that into action.