Nudge Nudge – Date 4/9/2025
I decided to visit REI one day; not really sure why. I swear everyone that works there looks like they just completed the triathlon, just came off the Appalachian trail or down from the mountain camping trip. I was standing in the store and wondered if they have a book on the Camino trail. No less than 2 steps away was a book on a shelf about the trail. I thought geez this is a bit much isn’t it? I bought the book and joined the co-op.
I also recently took an online course in trying to figure out what I am uniquely created to do in this world. I follow an organizing guru and her course called “Embrace” got me thinking of the Camino Trail. This woman’s business (Organize365) has an online platform and I mentioned in the course my desire to do the Camino Trail. Her followers are so supportive and they started encouraging me. They say things like they are so inspired by me . . . that I have such courage to take this on. Mind you, I do not feel worthy of any of these comments. I mean I haven’t done anything yet! Talk is cheap. I can say I’m thinking of hiking the Camino Trail by myself but doing it is something else. But I also know that if I say I’m going to do something, I will. And even with my reluctance to tell others I’m going to do this, I knew that if I go “public” with it, then I will do it. So again, I took the plunge.
I am a reader so I got the book my sister suggested to read about someone who walked the trail. And I watched the movie “The Way”. Folks in my organizing group told me about the movie. Now I’ve got people telling me more and more things about the Camino. My friends are excited for me. I guess I should start walking to see how that works out for me. It’s late summer and I am coming off my typical golfing season regularly walking 18 holes of golf multiple times a week. I’m not a really fit person but the end of golf season is the most in-shape I typically get. 18 holes is 5-6 miles so I bet I can easily walk 7 miles before I really start to feel it. WRONG! 4 miles into my hikes I am feeling tired. I took on more than I guess I could handle and had to stop and sit before I returned home. I don’t get this. Why can’t I walk further without feeling tired? I’m walking further while playing golf and pushing a cart. Why is just walking taking a toll on me? Oh boy, what have I gotten myself into?
I visit REI and talk to the hiking boot/running shoe guy. Again, he just got off the trail himself, right? I brought in my boots to make sure I am using the right kind if I am really going to hike 488 miles of the Camino Trail. He first measures my foot. Okay, not sure about you but shoe size has been one of those staples in an ever-changing world. I mean short of your feet changing as a result of pregnancy, I haven’t experienced anybody saying their shoe size has changed much over their adult lifespan. Well say good-bye to size 7 and hello to size 8! Now I already knew as a jogger to get a half size larger than your normal shoe size but getting a size 8.5 hiking boot became a “thing” in my mind. Apparently I’ve been wearing the wrong size shoe! I’m already rolling my eyes at the many golf shoes I have in my possession. . . all size 7. If I am not a size 7, how can I walk in these shoes for years without any issues? That is an issue for another time.
