No more advice. Let yourself be silently drawn by what you really love. It will not lead you astray. ~Rumi

I had originally heard about the Camino de Santiago through a friend who dreamed of walking the sacred path someday in her lifetime. The Camino, or the Way, is an ancient pilgrimage to the cathedral in Santiago, Spain where the bones of Saint James, one of the twelve disciples of Jesus, are interned. Apparently, the authenticity of the remains has been verified by the Vatican in Rome – by what process I have no idea. Regardless, so many pilgrims have visited the site over the centuries that their energy is palatable and real even if the bones are not. Like a spoke on a wheel, pilgrims trekked to Santiago from all directions, as far away as Paris, France to the north and Lisbon, Portugal to the south. The most traveled and popular route is known as the French way and begins in the Northeast corner of Spain near the border of France. Legends abound of miracles attributed to St. James along this particular route.

I knew none of these details before deciding to walk the Camino. In fact, I just assumed there was only one way to walk the Camino and images of single-track dirt paths through a rural countryside interrupted by an occasional quaint village were what I’d pictured in my mind. Little did I know the actual walk passed through mountains, along the seacoast, through cobbled stoned towns, along rocky dirt roads, asphalt streets, and even through the heart of large cities. My idealized version of walking to Santiago was neatly tucked away on my someday list without a lot more thought.

Fast forward fifteen years – I’m hiking the trails near my home in Boulder, Colorado, with Tracey, my hiking buddy, who is telling me about her recent trip to Spain that included a stop at the cathedral in Santiago. She had been deeply moved by her experience there and described feeling very serene, as if the sanctuary compelled people to leave their emotional baggage outside the doors. As we continued to talk, my someday Camino began to tug at my heart. When she mentioned she’d consider walking the pilgrimage alone, a light bulb went off in my head. My husband was signed up for a seven-week bike ride across America and I had a window of time for my own adventure but as yet hadn’t formulated any plans. In that moment I knew I’d be going to Spain. This burst of clarity took me totally by surprise but in my gut it felt completely right. It was as if the Camino had extended me a personal invitation to walk her sacred path and I had no choice but to say, “yes!”

Questions:  What are you silently drawn to?  Where are the places that pull at your heart strings?  Where in your home do you naturally gravitate towards?