On the one hand:
REI has knowledgeable service-oriented staff, an incredible return policy, and quality products. They encourage you to try stuff out. They’ll discuss the finer points of the benefit of a poncho vs. a pack cover for 10 minutes without batting an eye. The same person can walk you around the store and answer various questions. I love this.
On the other hand:
Continue reading “My love/not-quite-hate relationship with REI”
Perhaps it should be all about soul, but I’ve got to start with my feet. The salesgirl told me today that your feet hit the ground 1500 time per mile, give or take. So what you put on your feet matters.
Including the socks, I come in at a whopping size 11.5 women’s shoe and a D width. Too bad women’s shoes come in B width and whole sizes after 10. Men’s shoes come in D width as the standard size, but are — well, they look like men’s shoes.
Thanks to some fantastic kids from the University of Michigan, I’ve learned that the first 5-7 minutes of walking each day are the hardest. They call it “the morning hobble”.
Of the videos I’ve watched about the Camino so far, this is my favorite:
I’m not proud. The extent of my workout for the last N years has been the path between my office chair and the fridge in the kitchen. Ahh, self employment.
But I need to start walking more than those 30 steps or so.
Santa gave me a gym membership and I signed up for it today.
I’m going!!
I just got my tickets — I’m elated, terrified, excited, astonished! I’m really going!!
I have Mark to thank. I came home tonight and said, “Okay. I’m going to buy the tickets and make this real. But I want a sign.” And when I opened up my email, the very first message at the tippity top was a generous gift from my dear friend Mark, entitled “Spiritual quest support.”
“I think I can, I think I can, I think I can!”
This is Part 1, because I anticipate many more.
My leap of faith at the moment is whether and when to buy the tickets. I’ve been hedging for a week.
I realized that my financial plan isn’t 100% solid – and that unnerves me. As much as I am compelled to go on this pilgrimage, as certain as I am that this is the year to do it, I have responsibilities to my partner, my clients, and my creditors too.
Camino statistics for last year’s pilgrims have just been released regarding age, gender, country of origin, starting point, etc. I found it pretty interesting!
http://www.caminodesantiago.me/2012-pilgrim-statistics/
Heh.
I heard from the travel agent yesterday, but I didn’t like what she told me. She doesn’t “do” little airlines. This means she only got me as far as Madrid — a mere 557km from my actual starting point, well over budget, and no suggestions on how to get there.
So I’m doing it myself. Or at least starting.
Pray for me.
🙂 xo
Last month I talked to my travel agent. She said, “Yep. Get in touch with me in January and we’ll start your tickets.”
I’m scared!
If I buy them, I’m really going. I’m committed. I *always* buy non-refundable tickets.
We’re already into Week 2 of January and all I need to do is send the email. And then…
I’m committing to buying them,
to getting all my gear,
saving up for all those nights in Spain,
walking 500 miles.
I think I just realized what’s missing: a plan.
There are so many moving parts to this trip and (even ol’ organized me) I haven’t created a folder for all the steps. A to-do list. Ha! I love it!
If I knew what my next steps were (literally and figuratively), the sense of unease would dissipate. Buying the tickets would be a step into think thin air, they would define the path just ahead of me.
Well, whew! I’m getting on my list right now.
And while I do that, I’m curious: what would YOU put on my to-do list?
Jen's Journey - Camino de Santiago 2013, 2016, & 2019 