How the Camino can change your life: Personal experiences and expectations

[sebastienbrideau]

Hi,
I'm wondering if doing the Camino changed you/your life in any concrete way. I'd like some examples. Did you have expectations of wanting to change something in your life before starting? Did you get surprised how it changed you, or maybe it didn't change you?

I want to do Frances form Saint Jean. I feel like my life is in a bit of a rut but I don't know what I want from the Camino. I guess I'm just curious what others find in it.

Also, how did you manage going back home once you were done? Was it very difficult going back to a job and the normal every day life?

 

[trecile]

Please, leave any expectations of the Camino changing your life at home! Expectations just lead to disappointment.

It's true that there are lots of people who say that it changed their life, but it's not something that you can anticipate, and the changes can come months or years after you finish the Camino - if at all.

In my case, it changed my life by making me a part of a larger community, but that has developed gradually over a number of years.

I know a woman who was hoping for a life change, and ended up really not liking the Camino experience very much. But now, more than a year later, she does still reflect on it, and it did teach her things about herself that help in her current life - like knowing what her strengths are, and knowing that it's okay to not like the Camino. Like licorice ice cream, pet snakes, or bungee jumping, it's not for everyone!

For me, returning to every day life is a bit of a struggle, but then I just start planning my next Camino. For my friend who didn't enjoy the experience she was grateful to return to her everyday life, and had renewed appreciation for her job and family.

 

[Robo]

That's a huge question...............
The answer to which is almost "the Ultimate Question of Life, the Universe, and Everything." (Hitch Hikers Guide to the Galaxy)

Many have written books about it.

The concise version from my own experience.

Huge change. Now totally chilled about things, no longer interested in material things, reprioritisation of everything.

And since coming home..........all I do is plan my next Camino!

Let the buyer beware !

But @trecile is 100% right..............
Go with zero expectations, or you will be disappointed.

 

[Robo]

I don't know what I want from the Camino.

Then go expecting nothing............and see what it gives you

 

[J Willhaus]

I think you will find out what you will learn. For me, I walked 55 days and was really not finding anything, until my husband got sick and we could not go further. It was then that I saw the true Camino spirit in the care that others who were complete strangers showed for him. It made me rethink whether I'd walked all those hard days for nothing (as we had to stop walking)or whether it was a sign.

I did take it as a sign and now I volunteer on the Camino every year.

You will find what you will find. It is different for each of us.

 

[Camino Chrissy]

I went on my first Camino in 2015 with the expectation and excitement of walking in a new country, and was prompted by the movie, "The Way". I thought about going for nearly a year before deciding to make it happen by taking an early retirement. It met all of my expectations and more. If I had none, why would I have even bothered to go?
That said, my expectations did not include trying to find a reason for my life's existence, nor was I grieving a loss, etc. We are all different and our reasons for going on Camino, and what we take away from the experience will be unique to each of us.

 

[lovelyshell]

I concur with @trecile, don’t go in with any expectations, just let the experience unfold. I know personal anecdotes can be annoying but here’s mine… On my first Camino, it was a year after my dad’s suicide and a few months after being laid off from a job by an abusive manager, I went to the Camino hoping for something to give me new direction or to change my life. That didn’t happen. I didn’t walk away with clarity, in fact I walked into Santiago alone (at my own insistence) and crying. I came home to California, and was confused and discouraged.

But ultimately, I learned to appreciate the things I never expected to find on the Camino, like my friend John who I met in Orrison on night one. Who, I only walked with for two weeks, before he returned home to the UK. But it’s the most special friendship I’ve had in my life. When I told my mom and friends back in California about John, they all said “oh so he’s like a father figure, because of your dad”. And not once, while walking the Camino, or after, did I ever think of John as a father figure. Still don’t. He’s just a great person I got the priveledge of walking with.

I would just say if you can live in the moment (cliche I know) and enjoy the simplicity of life on the Camino, you may see your life unfold in ways you might not have expected. It might not be the epiphany you want, but going in with no expectations is, in my opinion, the best way to walk the Camino.

 

[MARSKA]

Walking the camino restored my faith in humanity. Walking the camino restored my faith in myself. And with that, restored my faith in "God".
Period and explanation point.

 

[dreaming]

I don't think i learnt anything from three caminos. Just love the challenge, adventure, exercise, meeting pilgrims from all around the world plus time out from home responsibilities.

 

[DoughnutANZ]

@trecile has excellent advice, take it!

I was sitting by myself in the bus belonging to a tramping (hiking) club that I was a member of when two sisters sitting in the seat ahead of me started talking about a walk that they were planning in Spain. The walk had a funny name that I had never heard of before.

As I listened to their plans something reached out to me and in that moment I knew that I needed to find out more about this walk and that there was something there for me.

Three months later I was in St. Jean Pied de Port with an overweight backpack, one night's accommodation booked, a credit card in my wallet and no real idea of how to get to Santiago de Compostela from where I was other than I needed to cross the ranges in front of me and then turn West.

By the time that I got to Pamplona I knew that I needed to jettison half the items in my backpack and post them on to Santiago de Compostela.

I was in a transition point in my life.

My best friend, fishing mate, fellow adventurer, sounding board and brother from another mother of fifty two years had died suddenly and unexpectedly. My start-up business had crashed and burned, my second and third options for what I would do for a job if my business failed disappeared and for the very first time in my adult life no one seemed to want my technical expertise. I was almost broke and at one of the lowest points of my life.

I knew that something needed to change but I wasn't sure what or how.

I guess that if you would have asked me why I was walking the Camino, and in the beginning a lot of people did ask me, then I would have said that I was doing one last great adventure with my friend as my way of saying good bye to him. That he was walking beside me in spirit and that I planned to let him go at Cruz de Ferro.

I had used almost all of my meager savings to get to Europe and I thought that this would be my last visit. I booked my return ticket for three days short of three months and had some vague ideas about having a last catch up with friends in France, UK and Sweden before I returned home to Aotearoa New Zealand.

Well things didn't go the way that I hoped.

I had really built my expectations of how I was going to say goodbye to my friend at Cruz de Ferro but unknown to me at the time, I had caught Legionella in an albergue in Sahagun and I was seriously ill by the time I ascended to the Cruz.

I thought that I was just suffering from a heavy dose of influenza or a bad cold. I really struggled up what is a relatively gentle slope and when I got to the cross I was exhausted, tired from lack of sleep and a local tourist who was "performing" for his friends and taking selfies while hanging off the cross completely spoilt the moment for me and so I walked on in deep despair, shutting myself off from the world around me.

For the first time on the Camino the descent troubled me, probably due to my exhaustion and inattention, and I was slipping and sliding on the loose stones. I decided to leave the Camino trail and walk down via the road.

A couple of kilometres down, at this inauspicious point I stopped to rest on the side of the road.



I was so exhausted, tired and in such despair that I gave up and decided to end my Camino by waiting on the side of the road for a car to come past which I intended to flag down, hitch a ride to the nearest town with a bus or a train, get back to Madrid and fly home.

It is a lonely road with little traffic and so while I sat on the side of the road waiting for a vehicle I fell asleep.

While I slept, I dreamt.

In my dream my friend came to me and in his own imitable style told me to get over my self pity, get up and get going and so when I awoke that is what I did.

I kept walking until just after O Cebrerio, where the Legionella finally got the better of me and I collapsed in a tiny bar where I had stopped to rest.

The caring locals in the bar called an ambulance for me which carted me off to Lugo hospital, initially following the Camino route. As I rode the ambulance I looked out the rear window, noticing the other pilgrims as we sped past with sirens blaring and I again thought to myself that this surely was the end to my Camino.

At the hospital they diagnosed the Legionella and severe dehydration. It took an experienced nurse nine goes to get a drip into one of my veins and they said that if I had of managed another day walking then my kidneys would have packed up and stopped working because of the dehydration.

They have excellent medical care in Spain and so five days later, at my insistence, they discharged me into the care of a good friend who drove up from Portugal to pick me up and take me back to his home to fully recover.

After recovering in Portugal for a week my friend drove me back to O Cebrerio and I continued my Camino, finishing in Santiago de Compostela on the 20th of July.

Did I get what I expected from my Camino?

Good question, I certainly had a grand adventure but I didn't say goodbye to my friend, I finally did that when I returned last year to walk the Camino Madrid, when I stopped for a picnic lunch at the spot where I fell asleep. I had lunch there, took some photos, meditated for a while and then said goodbye to my friend.

As it transpired, that 2019 trip wasn't my last because I returned last year and hopefully will continue returning in the future until I am physically incapable of walking a Camino.

I did get something from that first Camino though. I learnt that I am a stubborn old b**stard and that even when all seems hopeless a little bit of time and effort on my part will see me through.

As @trecile says, best to go without expectations and get what you get.

 

[evanlow]

Not knowing what to expect, I went on my first Camino thinking that somehow the 30 days walking on my own will change me.

Yes. I experience what everyone had posted here in the forums. But what is life changing for me (to each their own) is the simplicity of the Camino. Eat, sleep, wash, walk and lots of time to reflect on my life. I carried too much weight initially and suffered the consequences. Lighten up the load and realized my life needs the same. Back in the real world, remove my weight (burden) and retire early... Really early.

 

[davejsy]

@trecile has excellent advice, take it!

I was sitting by myself in the bus belonging to a tramping (hiking) club that I was a member of when two sisters sitting in the seat ahead of me started talking about a walk that they were planning in Spain. The walk had a funny name that I had never heard of before.

As I listened to their plans something reached out to me and in that moment I knew that I needed to find out more about this walk and that there was something there for me.

Three months later I was in St. Jean Pied de Port with an overweight backpack, one night's accommodation booked, a credit card in my wallet and no real idea of how to get to Santiago de Compostela from where I was other than I needed to cross the ranges in front of me and then turn West.

By the time that I got to Pamplona I knew that I needed to jettison half the items in my backpack and post them on to Santiago de Compostela.

I was in a transition point in my life.

My best friend, fishing mate, fellow adventurer, sounding board and brother from another mother of fifty two years had died suddenly and unexpectedly. My start-up business had crashed and burned, my second and third options for what I would do for a job if my business failed disappeared and for the very first time in my adult life no one seemed to want my technical expertise. I was almost broke and at one of the lowest points of my life.

I knew that something needed to change but I wasn't sure what or how.

I guess that if you would have asked me why I was walking the Camino, and in the beginning a lot of people did ask me, then I would have said that I was doing one last great adventure with my friend as my way of saying good bye to him. That he was walking beside me in spirit and that I planned to let him go at Cruz de Ferro.

I had used almost all of my meager savings to get to Europe and I thought that this would be my last visit. I booked my return ticket for three days short of three months and had some vague ideas about having a last catch up with friends in France, UK and Sweden before I returned home to Aotearoa New Zealand.

Well things didn't go the way that I hoped.

I had really built my expectations of how I was going to say goodbye to my friend at Cruz de Ferro but unknown to me at the time, I had caught Legionella in an albergue in Sahagun and I was seriously ill by the time I ascended to the Cruz.

I thought that I was just suffering from a heavy dose of influenza or a bad cold. I really struggled up what is a relatively gentle slope and when I got to the cross I was exhausted, tired from lack of sleep and a local tourist who was "performing" for his friends and taking selfies while hanging off the cross completely spoilt the moment for me and so I walked on in deep despair, shutting myself off from the world around me.

For the first time on the Camino the descent troubled me, probably due to my exhaustion and inattention, and I was slipping and sliding on the loose stones. I decided to leave the Camino trail and walk down via the road.

A couple of kilometres down, at this inauspicious point I stopped to rest on the side of the road.

View attachment 163069

I was so exhausted, tired and in such despair that I gave up and decided to end my Camino by waiting on the side of the road for a car to come past which I intended to flag down, hitch a ride to the nearest town with a bus or a train, get back to Madrid and fly home.

It is a lonely road with little traffic and so while I sat on the side of the road waiting for a vehicle I fell asleep.

While I slept, I dreamt.

In my dream my friend came to me and in his own imitable style told me to get over my self pity, get up and get going and so when I awoke that is what I did.

I kept walking until just after O Cebrerio, where the Legionella finally got the better of me and I collapsed in a tiny bar where I had stopped to rest.

The caring locals in the bar called an ambulance for me which carted me off to Lugo hospital, initially following the Camino route. As I rode the ambulance I looked out the rear window, noticing the other pilgrims as we sped past with sirens blaring and I again thought to myself that this surely was the end to my Camino.

At the hospital they diagnosed the Legionella and severe dehydration. It took an experienced nurse nine goes to get a drip into one of my veins and they said that if I had of managed another day walking then my kidneys would have packed up and stopped working because of the dehydration.

They have excellent medical care in Spain and so five days later, at my insistence, they discharged me into the care of a good friend who drove up from Portugal to pick me up and take me back to his home to fully recover.

After recovering in Portugal for a week my friend drove me back to O Cebrerio and I continued my Camino, finishing in Santiago de Compostela on the 20th of July.

Did I get what I expected from my Camino?

Good question, I certainly had a grand adventure but I didn't say goodbye to my friend, I finally did that when I returned last year to walk the Camino Madrid, when I stopped for a picnic lunch at the spot where I fell asleep. I had lunch there, took some photos, meditated for a while and then said goodbye to my friend.

As it transpired, that 2019 trip wasn't my last because I returned last year and hopefully will continue returning in the future until I am physically incapable of walking a Camino.

I did get something from that first Camino though. I learnt that I am a stubborn old b**stard and that even when all seems hopeless a little bit of time and effort on my part will see me through.

As @trecile says, best to go without expectations and get what you get.

What a beautiful touching story - thank you for sharing

 

[davejsy]

Everyone will have their own opinions on this, and it's always interesting to read them. You will also hear and see many moving stories unfolding as you walk, if your eyes and heart are open to them.

I knew that something needed to change but I wasn't sure what or how.

This sums up my reason for deciding I needed to do the Camino when I did, but truth is I'd been in love with the idea of the Camino for a long long time. I'd lost my dog who was my only real partner on this planet several months previously, and I was falling deeper and deeper into this black-hole. I knew I had to do something. So I walked the Camino for Flora, and to raise money for the rescue charity she came from. Flora was from Spain, and we spent 8 beautiful years together criss-crossing beautiful NW Spain on road trips together. So it made sense, and it provided an additional purpose to my Camino, and a bit of incentive should I ever think of quitting it if I didn't like it!

I had no idea what I'd get, I had no expectations but I certainly did have a hope that it would help - and hope and expectation is entirely different. Hope will allow you to go with an open mind and heart which is what the Camino demands. The Camino by it's very nature will open you up to things we have lost in our busy modern lives. At times I could feel Flora walking with me, something that very rarely happens at home - because the Camino allowed that part of me that is connected to nature/universe/God to wake up (I am not religious btw). I had things happen which were difficult to put down to pure chance. For me the Camino was a magical path with an amazingly serendipitous energy along it, and for the first time in many many years I felt a freedom and aliveness I'd forgotten existed. It wasn't all great though, the Meseta had me in tears mentally one day for example, but the not great bits were probably the biggest lessons I learnt - they seemed to happen for a reason. Add to this the landscapes, the fellow pilgrims, the Albergues, the food (and odd glass of vino), the history, the locals and the whole provenance and it's hard not to fall in love with this path.

Did it change me? Yes definitely at the time and I felt I would be forever changed when I got home. But much to my sadness the return to normal life has blocked out most of the change for now. Although not everything, and the Camino isn't done with me, and the fact that this has happened is the Camino telling me that I need to change things at home - somehow (answers on a postcard).

So yes, for sure it might change your life, or it might not. But either way I don't think it will be something you would ever regret, and certainly your circumstances seem to be a perfect excuse to go on a nice long walk.

"Those that don't believe in magic will never find it" ~ Roald Dahl

 

[WalkingLester]

I have had many magical, mystical, transformative experiences on the Camino. There were times that I truly thought that I was living in an alternate world, a separate reality. For a few years, I have thought that the Camino changed me in so many ways. But, with time, and more Caminos, I now see that in actuality the Camino did not change me as much as it revealed to me, and helped me connect with, my true self. It helped me connect with who I really am in a way that years of psychotherapy never did.

I feel it is important to go without specific expectations. Go, walk a long way across Spain. Spend time in solitude. Meet people from other countries. Be a stranger in a strange land. Go, and meet yourself. Go, and just see what happens.

 

[Rick Chollett]

I walked with the goal of leaving a token on the altar in Santiago that belonged to my daughter who passed away. I wasn't sure what "to expect" from a Camino. I watched the movie The Way before going. My biggest expectations were beautiful scenery and to lose some weight (both were destined!). But I also had wonderful conversations with people from all walks of life that would likely never happen at home. I made many acquaintances and several very good friends from Brazil and Romania. I found empathy and peacefulness.
Being disconnected for periods of time from social media was WONDERFUL! That gave me the opportunity to listen more.
When I got home I noticed so much more how people were so "busy" with trivial things and got upset over little things that really weren't that big of a deal.
A couple days after finishing I started thinking about doing it again and have wanted to ever since. This April I will be walking the del Norte and one of my brothers will be joining me as we are both retired now.

 

[Dani7]

@trecile has excellent advice, take it!

I was sitting by myself in the bus belonging to a tramping (hiking) club that I was a member of when two sisters sitting in the seat ahead of me started talking about a walk that they were planning in Spain. The walk had a funny name that I had never heard of before.

As I listened to their plans something reached out to me and in that moment I knew that I needed to find out more about this walk and that there was something there for me.

Three months later I was in St. Jean Pied de Port with an overweight backpack, one night's accommodation booked, a credit card in my wallet and no real idea of how to get to Santiago de Compostela from where I was other than I needed to cross the ranges in front of me and then turn West.

By the time that I got to Pamplona I knew that I needed to jettison half the items in my backpack and post them on to Santiago de Compostela.

I was in a transition point in my life.

My best friend, fishing mate, fellow adventurer, sounding board and brother from another mother of fifty two years had died suddenly and unexpectedly. My start-up business had crashed and burned, my second and third options for what I would do for a job if my business failed disappeared and for the very first time in my adult life no one seemed to want my technical expertise. I was almost broke and at one of the lowest points of my life.

I knew that something needed to change but I wasn't sure what or how.

I guess that if you would have asked me why I was walking the Camino, and in the beginning a lot of people did ask me, then I would have said that I was doing one last great adventure with my friend as my way of saying good bye to him. That he was walking beside me in spirit and that I planned to let him go at Cruz de Ferro.

I had used almost all of my meager savings to get to Europe and I thought that this would be my last visit. I booked my return ticket for three days short of three months and had some vague ideas about having a last catch up with friends in France, UK and Sweden before I returned home to Aotearoa New Zealand.

Well things didn't go the way that I hoped.

I had really built my expectations of how I was going to say goodbye to my friend at Cruz de Ferro but unknown to me at the time, I had caught Legionella in an albergue in Sahagun and I was seriously ill by the time I ascended to the Cruz.

I thought that I was just suffering from a heavy dose of influenza or a bad cold. I really struggled up what is a relatively gentle slope and when I got to the cross I was exhausted, tired from lack of sleep and a local tourist who was "performing" for his friends and taking selfies while hanging off the cross completely spoilt the moment for me and so I walked on in deep despair, shutting myself off from the world around me.

For the first time on the Camino the descent troubled me, probably due to my exhaustion and inattention, and I was slipping and sliding on the loose stones. I decided to leave the Camino trail and walk down via the road.

A couple of kilometres down, at this inauspicious point I stopped to rest on the side of the road.

View attachment 163069

I was so exhausted, tired and in such despair that I gave up and decided to end my Camino by waiting on the side of the road for a car to come past which I intended to flag down, hitch a ride to the nearest town with a bus or a train, get back to Madrid and fly home.

It is a lonely road with little traffic and so while I sat on the side of the road waiting for a vehicle I fell asleep.

While I slept, I dreamt.

In my dream my friend came to me and in his own imitable style told me to get over my self pity, get up and get going and so when I awoke that is what I did.

I kept walking until just after O Cebrerio, where the Legionella finally got the better of me and I collapsed in a tiny bar where I had stopped to rest.

The caring locals in the bar called an ambulance for me which carted me off to Lugo hospital, initially following the Camino route. As I rode the ambulance I looked out the rear window, noticing the other pilgrims as we sped past with sirens blaring and I again thought to myself that this surely was the end to my Camino.

At the hospital they diagnosed the Legionella and severe dehydration. It took an experienced nurse nine goes to get a drip into one of my veins and they said that if I had of managed another day walking then my kidneys would have packed up and stopped working because of the dehydration.

They have excellent medical care in Spain and so five days later, at my insistence, they discharged me into the care of a good friend who drove up from Portugal to pick me up and take me back to his home to fully recover.

After recovering in Portugal for a week my friend drove me back to O Cebrerio and I continued my Camino, finishing in Santiago de Compostela on the 20th of July.

Did I get what I expected from my Camino?

Good question, I certainly had a grand adventure but I didn't say goodbye to my friend, I finally did that when I returned last year to walk the Camino Madrid, when I stopped for a picnic lunch at the spot where I fell asleep. I had lunch there, took some photos, meditated for a while and then said goodbye to my friend.

As it transpired, that 2019 trip wasn't my last because I returned last year and hopefully will continue returning in the future until I am physically incapable of walking a Camino.

I did get something from that first Camino though. I learnt that I am a stubborn old b**stard and that even when all seems hopeless a little bit of time and effort on my part will see me through.

As @trecile says, best to go without expectations and get what you get.

Your story went straight to my heart. Thank you for sharing your story

 

[t2andreo]

Succinctly put, the greatest “truth” I learned on my six Caminos since 2013 is:
“The journey IS the destination. Savor each moment and every experience along YOUR journey.”

Also: “Start the Camino as an empty vessel, waiting to receive input. Finish your Camino full to the brim with all the things, feelings and thoughts people - above - attribute to the Camino.” It is ALL true.

It is a sometimes strange and wonderful experience. But, you are walking among the spirits of millions of pilgrims, religious and secular, who have been making this seminal journey for nearly 1,200 years (844 - 2024 AD). At times, in the silence of the Camino, you can sense or feel an otherworldly presence. I have, on several occasions over the years, had these deeply moving and personal experiences.

Enjoy the journey! Ultreia and Buen Camino!

Hope this helps.

Tom

 

[Bradypus]

It is a sometimes strange and wonderful experience. But, you are walking among the spirits of millions of pilgrims, religious and secular, who have been making this seminal journey for nearly 1,200 years (844 - 2024 AD). At times, in the silence of the Camino, you can sense or feel an otherworldly presence. I have, on several occasions over the years, had these deeply moving and personal experiences.

I walked my first Camino at a time when numbers were only 1 or 2% of today's totals. Sometimes going a day or two on the Camino Frances without seeing another pilgrim. When I got home a friend asked if I had found it lonely. The thought had never crossed my mind. That sense of continuity with earlier generations of pilgrims was intensely strong at times.

 

[Hilary Van Norstrand]

Just take the first step, and truly believe you are exactly where you are meant to be in each step and in every moment. There is nothing I’d rather be doing than planning and dreaming of my next Camino; then the anticipation leading up and getting close to it, and then finally the beginning!! And remember, even if you come back and feel unchanged (doubtful), YOU just may have been the pilgrim who helped change others. How great is that? My fellow pilgrims come into my thoughts so often throughout my days and they don’t even know it. I smile, say a little prayer for them, and hope just maybe, a pilgrim has thought of me! Life really is a camino! I hope you go!

 

[Jamieb]

I don't think i learnt anything from three caminos. Just love the challenge, adventure, exercise, meeting pilgrims from all around the world plus time out from home responsibilities.

I feel the same especially the time out from home responsibilities part. Never felt so free, no worries, no problems etc as I did when I walked. It was a great recharge for my mental health.

 

[MichelleElynHogan]

I am afraid that my thoughts have come too late.

The Camino is a very personal journey. It is different for everyone, the way it should be. But asking to get the answers before walking will now colour your personal experience. Either way, your own experience will now be compared to all who have given their personal experience to you.

I see it as one who has asked to find out the end of the story before opening the book. But no, I do not see it as cheating. No. Apprehension before taking on such an unfamiliar challenge is certainly to be expected. In this case, I recommend that the Walker, and also the Poster, consider where faith in themselves stands?

As one who has failed to complete the Camino Frances, twice, so far, I can, from my experience, suggest that you be gentle with yourself. Do what you can, finish if that is possible for you and allow the experience to teach you, find what it has done to your faith, or confidence.

Finally, as I see it, the Camino is not there to give answers to life, problems, experience, personal challenges. It is there to allow you to give those issues the time they need to be resolved, if possible. I say this as the Camino offers no guarantees, but it does provide guidance, in a very, very gentle way.

Buen Camino.

 

[jfgough]

Hi,
I'm wondering if doing the Camino changed you/your life in any concrete way. I'd like some examples. Did you have expectations of wanting to change something in your life before starting? Did you get surprised how it changed you, or maybe it didn't change you?

I want to do Frances form Saint Jean. I feel like my life is in a bit of a rut but I don't know what I want from the Camino. I guess I'm just curious what others find in it.

Also, how did you manage going back home once you were done? Was it very difficult going back to a job and the normal every day life?

I went without expectations, other than having a big adventure and to challenge myself. The biggest advantage is that you have hours and hours to think while you walk. As you walk in a vast landscape you may feel how small you and your problems are in the grand scheme of the world. This doesn't diminish you or your problems, just gives you another perspective.
I gained confidence in my physical and mental ability to accomplish this challenge. I also met some really groovy people along the way.

 

[fitmelissa]

Walking the camino restored my faith in humanity. Walking the camino restored my faith in myself. And with that, restored my faith in "God".
Period and explanation point.

Beautifully written, succinct, and exactly the way I feel.

 

[RRat]

Hi,
I'm wondering if doing the Camino changed you/your life in any concrete way. I'd like some examples. Did you have expectations of wanting to change something in your life before starting? Did you get surprised how it changed you, or maybe it didn't change you?

I want to do Frances form Saint Jean. I feel like my life is in a bit of a rut but I don't know what I want from the Camino. I guess I'm just curious what others find in it.

Also, how did you manage going back home once you were done? Was it very difficult going back to a job and the normal every day life?

My friends and family now avoid me. They are so tired of hearing about my Camino. My wife has developed the ability to pretend she's listening.

 

[Purple Backpack]

I walked my first Camino in 2012 and with limited time, only walked SJPDP to SDC, taking a train in the middle. I remember sitting on the plane and telling my husband that I was glad I had done it because I never had to do it again…I hated the crowded Sarria to SDC part! But the Camino provided a tremendous gift that first walk. I had several home break ins and was assaulted when I was younger. I never felt safe any place I lived and always thought of strangers as someone with the potential to harm. The Camino showed me the kindness of others and I pretty much lost the fear of strangers that first trip. Many hiking trips later, I feel there is far more good than bad in this crazy world. But then, last fall on the Norte, my long abusive marriage crossed a line and I called a divorce lawyer from Santander. It’s been “challenging” for the past few months but I’m starting to breathe again and it’s time for a pilgrimage. I’m going back to the Frances solo this spring, with zero expectations…but it would be wonderful to have fun and laugh again! If it’s miserable and I hate the Frances, I’ll jump off to another trail. If it’s wonderful and amazing, I’ll be grateful. Either way, it’s a good start to a new beginning.

 

[Camino Chrissy]

I see it as one who has asked to find out the end of the story before opening the book.

Michelle, I love this simple sentence as it says so much.

 

[Rick Chollett]

I walked my first Camino in 2012 and with limited time, only walked SJPDP to SDC, taking a train in the middle. I remember sitting on the plane and telling my husband that I was glad I had done it because I never had to do it again…I hated the crowded Sarria to SDC part! But the Camino provided a tremendous gift that first walk. I had several home break ins and was assaulted when I was younger. I never felt safe any place I lived and always thought of strangers as someone with the potential to harm. The Camino showed me the kindness of others and I pretty much lost the fear of strangers that first trip. Many hiking trips later, I feel there is far more good than bad in this crazy world. But then, last fall on the Norte, my long abusive marriage crossed a line and I called a divorce lawyer from Santander. It’s been “challenging” for the past few months but I’m starting to breathe again and it’s time for a pilgrimage. I’m going back to the Frances solo this spring, with zero expectations…but it would be wonderful to have fun and laugh again! If it’s miserable and I hate the Frances, I’ll jump off to another trail. If it’s wonderful and amazing, I’ll be grateful. Either way, it’s a good start to a new beginning.

After SJPP to Sarria I did get annoyed at first by the increase in crowds. But I came to the conclusion that many have that we all walk our own walk and that I shouldn't be upset with those whose life situation is different from my own. Some can only get time off work to walk the Sarria part. I am fortunate in that I'm retired and do as I like. I want to walk the Frances again but my brother would prefer coastal scenery. I can always go back another time for Frances! And I most certainly shall!

 

[Purple Backpack]

After SJPP to Sarria I did get annoyed at first by the increase in crowds. But I came to the conclusion that many have that we all walk our own walk and that I shouldn't be upset with those whose life situation is different from my own. Some can only get time off work to walk the Sarria part. I am fortunate in that I'm retired and do as I like. I want to walk the Frances again but my brother would prefer coastal scenery. I can always go back another time for Frances! And I most certainly shall!

You’ll love the Norte, it’s gorgeous! I’d love to go back and finish the route at some point but need a break from the memories first. Maybe next year.

 

[Rick Chollett]

You’ll love the Norte, it’s gorgeous! I’d love to go back and finish the route at some point but need a break from the memories first. Maybe next year.

I believe the "bad" memories make us appreciate how we've improved our life situation. I also have some bad ones from other trips when I was with my alcoholic spouse. Travelling solo is (for me at least) very liberating. I love being able to not plan everything and consult with someone who doesn't have the same interests as I do.
I'd say, don't let the bad stop you from doing what YOU want to do.

 

[David Tallan]

Hi,
I'm wondering if doing the Camino changed you/your life in any concrete way. I'd like some examples. Did you have expectations of wanting to change something in your life before starting? Did you get surprised how it changed you, or maybe it didn't change you?

I want to do Frances form Saint Jean. I feel like my life is in a bit of a rut but I don't know what I want from the Camino. I guess I'm just curious what others find in it.

Also, how did you manage going back home once you were done? Was it very difficult going back to a job and the normal every day life?

I don't know that it changed me hugely. Others may say differently. People have said that I came back from my 2016 Camino more relaxed and less stressed. I don't know that I was too surprised.

If you feel your life is in a bit of a rut, walking for a month will give you plenty of time and space to think about whether it really is and whether you want to get out of the rut and what you want to do about it. But that doesn't mean that you will, or that you will come to any conclusions. I walked my most recent Camino recently after I retired and thought it would be a great opportunity to figure out what I wanted to do with the rest of my life. I walked for 51 days and didn't really manage to think much about it until my last day of walking. I didn't come up with any grand plans or direction. Just a few habits from my Camino that I wanted to try and incorporate into my daily life, whatever direction it took.

Mostly what I find in a Camino is time and space to be myself, for the most part away from the roles I have to play at home, and a chance to connect with the broader universe which, on Camino, includes a wonderful supportive community, and a chance to really get to know another country and culture.

Going back home wasn't difficult at all. We were tired. I had a wife and daughter I loved and missed waiting at home. I didn't find it difficult to go back to a job and regular life. I did feel it affected my priorities a bit and how I related to others. I didn't come back and declutter like some people do. I did start thinking about walking another Camino and did get more involved in pilgrim communities.

 

[512]

There's a chain of stores called HomeGoods (for those unfamiliar, it's an eclectic mix of household goods, bedding, decor, furniture, etc. I think it all might closeouts from other stores).
Whenever I go there, I end up buying a lot of cool things I hadn't planned on.
The cashier always asks if I found everything I was looking for, and I never know how to answer.
I found lots of stuff, but I wasn't looking for any of it until I came to the store.
I didn't know I needed any of it until I got here.
Kinda the same thing.

 

[John Crawford Howell]

I am afraid that my thoughts have come too late.

The Camino is a very personal journey. It is different for everyone, the way it should be. But asking to get the answers before walking will now colour your personal experience. Either way, your own experience will now be compared to all who have given their personal experience to you.

I see it as one who has asked to find out the end of the story before opening the book. But no, I do not see it as cheating. No. Apprehension before taking on such an unfamiliar challenge is certainly to be expected. In this case, I recommend that the Walker, and also the Poster, consider where faith in themselves stands?

As one who has failed to complete the Camino Frances, twice, so far, I can, from my experience, suggest that you be gentle with yourself. Do what you can, finish if that is possible for you and allow the experience to teach you, find what it has done to your faith, or confidence.

Finally, as I see it, the Camino is not there to give answers to life, problems, experience, personal challenges. It is there to allow you to give those issues the time they need to be resolved, if possible. I say this as the Camino offers no guarantees, but it does provide guidance, in a very, very gentle way.

Buen Camino.

Solvitur ambulando.

 

[SabsP]

Solvitur ambulando.

Or not. And that is ok also .

 

[Dani7]

Circumstances made me have to wait for over 20 years to do my first camino last spring. I watched countless hours of videos, read and researched online while also spending even more time on this forum researching some more and learning from an amazing community of people from all over the world.

When I walked, I had no expectations despite all that I had seen or learned. None of it influenced my experience. Each soul will have its own journey. Our life experiences may influence our perception of things but that is true for anything we encounter in our lives. Did it change me? Yes! I practice gratitude more, I appreciate more what I have and I need and want less.

May you live in the present as you walk and appreciate all that the camino is and isn't. You will find that your experience will be as unique as you are.

Bon chemin @sebastienbrideau

 

[byrdie444]

I struggled on my Camino in many ways. I went with expectations and got the opposite. When I got home, it took me months to process..."why did I have such a strong calling to do the Camino yet all the Camino gave me was struggle?" This has led me to an inner journey of healing my past. I realized where all my struggle was coming from. Now I am torn about doing the Camino again. I feel a strong pull that the Camino is not finished with me, yet afraid of doing it again. I think I just need more time, but I do still think of the Camino every day, if not every moment.

 

[J Willhaus]

I will also say that not only do I think about the Camino a lot, but whenever I buy a piece of clothing or a new pair of shoes, I think "Would this be good on the Camino?"

It has changed the way I think about living. I am getting rid of almost everything I own and simplifying/downsizing. I now think "I've had this for years. It is time to let someone else use it instead." "Its just stuff and I can always get more if I really need something." "I've gone for months with only 2 changes of clothes so why do I need a whole closet full of things that I don't wear?"

I wish you the best, @sebastienbrideau , and I hope you find something on your Camino whether you are looking for it or not.

 

[davejsy]

I struggled on my Camino in many ways. I went with expectations and got the opposite. When I got home, it took me months to process..."why did I have such a strong calling to do the Camino yet all the Camino gave me was struggle?" This has led me to an inner journey of healing my past. I realized where all my struggle was coming from. Now I am torn about doing the Camino again. I feel a strong pull that the Camino is not finished with me, yet afraid of doing it again. I think I just need more time, but I do still think of the Camino every day, if not every moment.

It sounds like if you do decide to do another Camino, then you are ready for it, and if you do I hope that this time you find the beauty

 

[byrdie444]

It sounds like if you do decide to do another Camino, then you are ready for it, and if you do I hope that this time you find the beauty

Thank you - that's very kind and means alot to me.

 

[LesR]

Hi,
I'm wondering if doing the Camino changed you/your life in any concrete way. I'd like some examples. Did you have expectations of wanting to change something in your life before starting? Did you get surprised how it changed you, or maybe it didn't change you?

I want to do Frances form Saint Jean. I feel like my life is in a bit of a rut but I don't know what I want from the Camino. I guess I'm just curious what others find in it.

Also, how did you manage going back home once you were done? Was it very difficult going back to a job and the normal every day life?

I fully agree with the views expressed by others - leave your expectaions at home and be receptive to whatever comes your way....

I undertook my first camino in 2017 - never having ventured far from Australia's shores, this was a bit leap into the inknown and my approach was to "abandon myself to the Camino". This has nothing to do with the mantra "the camino will provide" but rather a willingness to go with the flow and treat each day as a new experience.

Part way through, I began musing on a life changing event of some 45 years ago that had remained with me ever since, and within a day or two, I had mapped out a way forward on this matter. Ultimately, once home and certain actions completed, I began to see this event more as a spectator than as a participant - the monkey was (largely) off my back.

Strangely, I then chanced on a comment on this forum to "take the time on the Camino to make peace with your past...". Sound advice!

 

[JMac56]

Expectations are like extra weight in your backpack. Remain open to the possibilities, and seek to give rather than to receive. Be grateful. Enjoy every moment. Buen Camino.

 

[DwainS]

I had expectations a few months before I left as I had planned this for 2 years. I am a chef so I had in my mind that I was only going to eat only "good Spanish food", no pilgrims meals. Have the preconceived notion that I would not like dormitory rooms before I even slept in one. Walking in rain would ruin my whole day. I would only use washer and dryer and not do my cloths by hand. Would I like eating with a bunch of strangers for a meal. The night before I left I realized if I had these expectations I was doomed to have a dreadful camino that I had looked so forward to for the last 2 years. So as the say, I would start with an open heart and an open mind. Washing cloths by hand, communal meals, sleeping in dorms eating pilgrim meals, now it would seem that my Camino would have been incomplete if I had not done these. Not to say I did not eat a fancy meal or use a washer and dryer or sleep in a private room now and then. Just saying, I dropped the expectations before I left and that was the best decision I made.

 

[elizason13]

Hi,
I'm wondering if doing the Camino changed you/your life in any concrete way. I'd like some examples. Did you have expectations of wanting to change something in your life before starting? Did you get surprised how it changed you, or maybe it didn't change you?

I want to do Frances form Saint Jean. I feel like my life is in a bit of a rut but I don't know what I want from the Camino. I guess I'm just curious what others find in it.

Also, how did you manage going back home once you were done? Was it very difficult going back to a job and the normal every day life?

I am a loner and tend to back away from social events.
What I most love about the Camino is having these encounters with other walkers and have fantastic yet short relationships.
It has helped me to enjoy what human beings have to offer one another rather than backing away.
It most definitely opened me up in a wonderful way.
I never have expectations I
Now just let the world unfold daily .

 

[Planet Janet]

Hello Sebastien: I've written a blog post that might also help provide some additional answers. Its called Walking the Camino - a Journey of the Spirit That Inspires and Transforms. I wrote this after walking my first "half Camino Frances" in 2016. I share not just about my own personal experience but what I learned from many other fellow pilgrims - including beautiful wisdom from the "Camino Voices" book.

And, for some reason, I keep getting pulled back to Spain & Portugal, having now walked 3 Caminos. Bottom line, as they all say above - Go with no expectations but an open mind and heart and let the Camino surprise you! https://www.planetjanettravels.com/walking-spain-camino-journey-of-spirit-that-inspires-transforms/

 

[Bob Howard]

I'll be doing my 5th Camino this May-June. I'm a planner, not just the Camino but in most aspects of life. I had plenty of expectations on the first three Caminos. Someone wrote in a post a year or two ago something to the effect of ". . . leave your expectations at home. Just start walking and let the Camino experience unfold before you." I followed that advice last year. Discarding or somehow ignoring expectations was for me a bit of a release. Each night as I was about to go to sleep, instead of looking at an online guide about what I could expect the next day, I simply marveled at the notion that I really had no idea what would happen, and allowed the Way to simply unfold. The Movie was quite a motivator for me back in 2016, and I went on to read everything I could about the Camino including devouring posts on this Forum. But in hindsight, I way over-planned and over-expected on those first three walks. I should have just let it happen, allowing it to "unfold" before me.

 

[Purple Backpack]

I fully agree with the views expressed by others - leave your expectaions at home and be receptive to whatever comes your way....

I undertook my first camino in 2017 - never having ventured far from Australia's shores, this was a bit leap into the inknown and my approach was to "abandon myself to the Camino". This has nothing to do with the mantra "the camino will provide" but rather a willingness to go with the flow and treat each day as a new experience.

Part way through, I began musing on a life changing event of some 45 years ago that had remained with me ever since, and within a day or two, I had mapped out a way forward on this matter. Ultimately, once home and certain actions completed, I began to see this event more as a spectator than as a participant - the monkey was (largely) off my back.

Strangely, I then chanced on a comment on this forum to "take the time on the Camino to make peace with your past...". Sound advice!

"make peace with your past..." I think you just gave me a walking mantra. Thanks for posting!

 

[Roland49]

Don't be fooled by novels and movies!

Expect nothing! Don't load that burden on your back! Walk your way.
If you are lucky the way will change you like many others, me included.

A Camino will not give what you want, but what you need. It provides substance and nothingness, comradery and solitude, joy and grieve. All in one, if you are able to let go!

Enjoy!

 

[J Willhaus]

OK, I don't necessarily agree that you should go without looking at anything in advance. I love a good guidebook and sometimes you will walk by something very cool and not even know it is there if you don't read or look at bit ahead. It is smart to know if there is an ATM in the next village or whether you are passing the very last water point for the next 10 miles, etc. I do agree that low expectations for miracles or life changes are a good idea though. I may happen though...

 

[RRat]

Hi,
I'm wondering if doing the Camino changed you/your life in any concrete way. I'd like some examples. Did you have expectations of wanting to change something in your life before starting? Did you get surprised how it changed you, or maybe it didn't change you?

I want to do Frances form Saint Jean. I feel like my life is in a bit of a rut but I don't know what I want from the Camino. I guess I'm just curious what others find in it.

Also, how did you manage going back home once you were done? Was it very difficult going back to a job and the normal every day life?

Stop wondering. Just do.

 

[Camino Chrissy]

I don't necessarily agree that you should go without looking at anything in advance. I love a good guidebook and sometimes you will walk by something very cool and not even know it is there if you don't read or look at bit ahead.

I agree. I sometimes learn much later that I have missed a short side trip to see a castle, or even a special museum I may have found interesting by not doing enough research ahead of time..."too little, too late".

 

[Robo]

Expectations?

Someone commented above, sorry I can't find it now, that you must surely go with the expectation of something!

If I think about that, of course I had expectations.

It was to have a break from 40+ years of working.
Of being the provider the leader.
Of being responsible for many others.

And I just wanted to step off that treadmill and be responsible for nothing other than focussing on the journey.

But I did not, have expectations around things like:

How I might change, if I might find God, if I would discover meanng to my life...............
I don't think one can have 'specific' expectations around those kind of things.

Maybe that's what many of us meam when we say go without expectaions?

It's certainly what I mean when I say to people "walk with an open mind and an open heart"
Be open, receptive and see what comes your way........

It might not be what you expected but it's often what you needed!

 

[davejsy]

For sure, I'd been mopping up every Camino related film/book/Youtubes for several years before I went. It's all part of the dreaming, the planning, the romance and pull of the Camino right?

It had no bearing on forming any kind of expectations though. It certainly was proof of just what the Camino is capable of for some people (obviously in their own experiences). It made arriving at some of those iconic places all the more exciting. It meant I managed to see a few places I probably would have missed.

So read and watch whatever you like, and dream and fall in love with the idea of the Camino. There is no harm in that.

 

[Bradypus]

For sure, I'd been mopping up every Camino related film/book/Youtubes for several years before I went. It's all part of the dreaming, the planning, the romance and pull of the Camino right?

Not for me. I spoke with a family member who had walked a few years before, read Laurie Dennett's "A Hug for the Apostle", bought the CSJ guide and borrowed Elias Valiña's guidebook and then booked my trains to SJPDP. No films, no blogs, no social media, no YouTube videos. I'm very glad that I had not walked the route vicariously through anyone else's camera lens first. A lot of the particular joy of that first walk was in discovering things that were completely new to me.

 

[davejsy]

Not for me. I spoke with a family member who had walked a few years before, read Laurie Dennett's "A Hug for the Apostle", bought the CSJ guide and borrowed Elias Valiña's guidebook and then booked my trains to SJPDP. No films, no blogs, no social media, no YouTube videos. I'm very glad that I had not walked the route vicariously through anyone else's camera lens first. A lot of the particular joy of that first walk was in discovering things that were completely new to me.

But, I don't think it's as simple as discovering something new in that sense. You can walk down the same street a hundred times and discover or notice something new each time. It's your approach to it that counts, not your expectations.

Speaking to a family member who had walked the Camino is in effect no different to reading a book/blog/YT.

 

[Bradypus]

Speaking to a family member who had walked the Camino is in effect no different to reading a book/blog/YT.

I disagree - I think that a one-to-one verbal conversation is very different from watching someone else's edited and formatted presentation of their Camino experience on video.

 

[davejsy]

I disagree - I think that a one-to-one verbal conversation is very different from watching someone else's edited and formatted presentation of their Camino experience on video.

I understand where you are coming from, and of course, they are made to be appealing and get likes etc. But even a person's personal opinion is just that, potentially edited in line with their version of the world, and maybe nothing like what you might experience.

I see no harm in being curious before your Camino and dreaming a little.

 

[Camino Chrissy]

There should really be no debate here in my opinion.
Good for the ones who knew nearly nothing before they set off. They walked, winged it and wandered along on their first Camino.
Good for those of us who only saw the movie; winging the albergue life the whole way, knowing nothing else.
Good for those who research everything ahead; enjoying watching and feasting on Youtubes, etc. before setting off with a plan.
It's ALL good. One approach not better than another; just different, as we are all different.

 

[David Tallan]

Not for me. I spoke with a family member who had walked a few years before, read Laurie Dennett's "A Hug for the Apostle", bought the CSJ guide and borrowed Elias Valiña's guidebook and then booked my trains to SJPDP. No films, no blogs, no social media, no YouTube videos. I'm very glad that I had not walked the route vicariously through anyone else's camera lens first. A lot of the particular joy of that first walk was in discovering things that were completely new to me.

When I walked the Camino de Madrid, I did a lot of research first. I found it really useful, and it enabled some really nice detours from the route that I found worthwhile. It also helped make sure I passed by some places that I really wanted to see when they were open. I don't regret a moment of that research or anything I learned from it.

I also started to watch some vlogs of other people's walks on the Camino de Madrid. That was natural to me. I'm quite the fan of this type of YouTube video. That's why I put together this list of Camino videos (which, as always, is in need of updating). But I didn't get too far into the videos before I stopped watching them. It was too much like walking the Camino before I walked the Camino. I'm enjoying watching them now, though.

For me, knowing what was coming (like Wamba) didn't take away the joy of discovery. But seeing it in a video seemed a bit much. I can certainly imagine that others might find that seeing it in a video wasn't too much and doesn't diminish the joy of seeing it in situ directly with their own two eyes, but rather just adds to the anticipation. It didn't seem to work that way for me, though.

 

[Bradypus]

But I didn't get too far into the videos before I stopped watching them. It was too much like walking the Camino before I walked the Camino. I'm enjoying watching them now, though.

Before walking a new route I usually read up about it to get some understanding of distances, terrain, facilities and so on. I do like to have some idea of where I am and where I am going. Especially true when going well out of my previous experience in places like Sweden, Norway and in particular Japan. But I avoid watching videos of the route in prospect. I don't watch many videos of routes afterwards either unless they are particularly recommended by my pilgrim friends. I feel quite strongly that Caminos are for walking rather than watching. Videos are such a thin insubstantial substitute for immersion in a place and time. I may watch the occasional cookery programme on TV but I'd far rather be cooking and eating for real!

 

[markie6]

Watching or hearing about others caminos is just the edited highlights. As others have said, quite rightly IMHO ...go with very little expectations.. no hype, no pre conceived ideas etc.


Far better to live it for a while.

FWIW I went looking for a little peace of mind.... found some too

 

[JBerg]

Hi,
I'm wondering if doing the Camino changed you/your life in any concrete way. I'd like some examples. Did you have expectations of wanting to change something in your life before starting? Did you get surprised how it changed you, or maybe it didn't change you?

I want to do Frances form Saint Jean. I feel like my life is in a bit of a rut but I don't know what I want from the Camino. I guess I'm just curious what others find in it.

Also, how did you manage going back home once you were done? Was it very difficult going back to a job and the normal every day life?

in all things i keep my expectations low. i'm rarely disappointed.

 

[storiestellr]

like many said above, the trick is to let go of expectations.
The Camino has a mind of its own, and it won't just 'give' you what you want (or expect).
But that's precisely the beauty of it.

Let things happen, and that will make many things clear to you. But don't try to force them, as you will be disappointed.
These things are actually what keeps me awake at night, because it's such an interesting conundrum.
I've made a little video essay about this phenomenon called 'The Tao of Camino', but I won't link it here because I truly don't want to be 'that guy'.
The Camino won't magically solve problems.

Listening to the posts above is good advice, imo.

 

[David61]

I took a short sabbatical to walk the Camino in 2019. I left expecting nothing more than a small adventure similar but of a different nature to others I have enjoyed since turning 50. For me I walked alone mainly, allowing for much reflection and contemplation of the bad parts of my life, loss of family too young, friends too young, loss of myself for a time. The bad things I have done (fortunately few), the times I have disappointed people (unfortunately too many), the times people have disappointed me. But after a while walking with nothing but the nest step, the next mile, the next day I found my mind jumping randomly to things I have not thought about in years, if ever and mostly they were happy memories and times and even just a snippet of a day (walking my dog across a field one sunny Good Friday for example when I was about nine). I finished my Camino and completed one more thing on the way home (which I will not mention, that was for someone else) and decided that life is too short. Too short to return to a job that made me unhappy. Too short to add any more unhappy memories. So I quit my job. Fortunately, I did the numbers and worked out I can live comfortably with what I have and also worked out I need nothing more than that Unfortunately, soon after Covid turned up and altered my plans and health issues joined in, but I can live with that too fortunately!

 

[Shells]

Hi there—my own experience is that you may not be able to help having expectations or hopes, but you may receive something you didn’t expect at all. I can only tell you what happened to me:

In the space of six months, four of my family members, including my dear mother and unborn granddaughter, died. During the next six months, my 20 year career came to an abrupt end (my choice to stop the emotional bleeding, but not how I had ever envisioned something into which I had poured so much of my heart ending.) I also decided to relinquish my ancestral home, rather than continue through a nasty probate, with a brother whom I had loved and trusted, but who now bitterly blamed me for executing my mother’s will.

When I walked the Camino, I was beyond tired, and I was heartily sick of the recriminations and bitterness that filled every waking hour. I thought that I would have time to analyze how everything had changed so quickly, to assign blame, find vindication, and to assure myself that I was actually the hero.

That didn’t happen. Instead, the tiresome turntable in my mind that played the same record of “what-should-I-have-said-and-done-differently” fell silent for the first time in months. I fell asleep instantly at night and slept dreamlessly. It’s funny: I never thought about all the things that were plaguing me at all—even when I consciously tried. And when I reached the end of my Camino, I somehow knew exactly what to do next. I didn’t gain answers to my questions, but rather peace. And outrageous, unexpected, brilliant joy.

 

[MARSKA]

Hi there—my own experience is that you may not be able to help having expectations or hopes, but you may receive I fell asleep instantly at night and slept dreamlessly. It’s funny: I never thought about all the things that were plaguing me at all—even when I consciously tried. And when I reached the end of my Camino, I somehow knew exactly what to do next. I didn’t gain answers to my questions, but rather peace. And outrageous, unexpected, brilliant joy.

Shells - I greatly enjoyed your post!
I fell asleep instantly at night and slept dreamlessly. As did I !!!!!

Neither did I think about troubles at home, at all. I hurt sometimes. I was tired,

I was hot, cold and wet and sometimes miserable, yet strangely content. I wondered if I could make it to the village, to someplace shady and cool, and the next day seeking a place that was warm and dry.

I cursed the holes in my shoes. I cursed the rain and I cursed the sun. I laughed and laughed and shared chocolate and wine everyday.

In olden-days cathedrals I felt awe and experienced the sublime, while deeply questioning the church. Why did they take gold and make art rather than using it to educate and feed people? Why is there such a need to control a populace? Yet, I felt blessed with the presence, And confused. I slept with people I didnt know. I almost asked for forgiveness.

 

[Shells]

Shells - I greatly enjoyed your post!
I fell asleep instantly at night and slept dreamlessly. As did I !!!!!

Neither did I think about troubles at home, at all. I hurt sometimes. I was tired,

I was hot, cold and wet and sometimes miserable, yet strangely content. I wondered if I could make it to the village, to someplace shady and cool, and the next day seeking a place that was warm and dry.

I cursed the holes in my shoes. I cursed the rain and I cursed the sun. I laughed and laughed and shared chocolate and wine everyday.

In olden-days cathedrals I felt awe and experienced the sublime, while deeply questioning the church. Why did they take gold and make art rather than using it to educate and feed people? Why is there such a need to control a populace? Yet, I felt blessed with the presence, And confused. I slept with people I didnt know. I almost asked for forgiveness.

Dear Marska—thank you! When I read your words, it was like reading my own thoughts…what a strange feeling…

 

[Tar Heel]

Hi,
I'm wondering if doing the Camino changed you/your life in any concrete way. I'd like some examples. Did you have expectations of wanting to change something in your life before starting? Did you get surprised how it changed you, or maybe it didn't change you?

I want to do Frances form Saint Jean. I feel like my life is in a bit of a rut but I don't know what I want from the Camino. I guess I'm just curious what others find in it.

Also, how did you manage going back home once you were done? Was it very difficult going back to a job and the normal every day life?

Dear Sebastián,
My four Caminos have have drastically changed my life. Before I left for my first, I had read in a guide to develop an intention. My family had tragically lost our first grandchild after her 42 day struggle to live and it broke our hearts. After 10 years I still had not recovered because in my arrogance to act as bastion of strength for others, I failed acknowledge just how deeply I had buried my grief. Walking the Camino Norte I was given the time and the peace to pray and I encountered myself and my deceased granddaughter.

And I learned that there are no coincidences. It’s all a plan.

 

[Arctic_Alex]

My expectations where simple, rather worldly and it was obvious that they would be met:
1. No other responsibility other than keep going, get food, and a place to sleep for the night ... and that for weeks. A simple uncomplicated and basic life.
2. Seeing an interesting part of Spain.
3. Meeting all kind of folks along the way, some interesting, some nice, some annoying.
4. Being able to eat and drink with little regret as I would burn it all while walking.

As I was a seasoned longer distance hiker long before my first Camino it was not at all about a physical or mental challenge or overcoming fears and insecurities. Also I knew about how variations in weather will influence the character of a hiking day and that some would be great and others less great. So in that sense it was not a challenge that would make me grow. I did certainly not come back a different person. If there was any enlightenment then it was that I could confirm for myself that I was happy with my life choices so far and that I was glad to come home to the place that I had made my home during the last decade.
And of course I became a Camino addict and want to go again and again on various Caminos ;-)

 

[Jermann75]

Such a good question. I went to just see what it was like. My mom and aunt had done it 3 times before and I knew I wanted a long walk. I went to see if I could do it alone and to improve my self confidence. And I had a bunch of time to kill so I could walk it at my own speed which also would be something that I would need to learn.

"The camino provides". They say this while you walk. And it's so true. Not only will you find the "things" you need or are looking for, you will find parts of yourself you didn't know you wanted to improve.

I struggled. A lot. A kidney stone, two hospital visits, 3 rounds of bed bugs, blisters, infected blisters, and my backpack being thrown in the garbage. I learned about resilience, surrendering to the universe or whatever higher power to be able to show me what I need to learn, giving up control, independence, making my own choices, getting better at map reading, strength (mentally and physically), peace, asking for help and I'm sure so much more. The more you struggle, the more you learn. And the learning comes later so it sucks when you're going through it but you can see afterwards what the gifts were.

I went and stayed with my inlaws for 3 months after I finished. This was a huge mistake. I went from living my own life for the last 40 days, growing, making my own choices, doing and eating to what I wanted, to living in a tiny room with my husband, under my inlaws roof (for free) and having to eat 3 meals a day with them being surrounded by them and all of their belongings. I became depressed, and felt like I was drowning (I also had the kidney stone still so I had some medical issues still happening). I wish I could have seen then what I needed: space, time, peace, autonomy. To be able to land in a safe sanctuary. I think I learned in this moment that there is no price I wouldn't pay for my own mental health, and that I have boundaries and that I now know that it won't be good if they are crossed or if I say "ok, this once I'll do what you want, not what I know is best for me" because I won't be happy.

The camino will give you what you need to learn about yourself. Things you don't even know what you need to know now. I feel like if you're in a rut, and you do the camino, chances are you will find your freedom and you will find possibility and opportunity. You never know... maybe you love it so much, that you abandon your life wherever that is, you buy little albergue and live a few years there. Or something else completely. I do think you will find something out there. <3

 

[CalgaryLynn]

No expectations, concerned about my foot health, no surprises and life back home has not changed at all but I think about the journey every day. I left Santiago saying "never again" to thinking "I wonder if I could do it again." There is something special about walking the Camino.