walking el camino, virtually

An author I know, and am friends with on FB, is always doing something creative. Her day job is teaching English at the local community college. I think it might be ESL because of the way she speaks about her hard working immigrant students. Any who, she crochets and writes and  and is an activist for children and autism and her Latin children. 

She is religious to a point that I don't understand. But it works for her. She was raised in a mixed religion household and when I first met her she was a cradle Catholic. Then she explore Episcapalian church, and now she is embracing her father's Jewish heritage. Meanwhile her Russian saints still occupy a place of honor in her home. She will lay her life on the line to protect whatever religion her friends embrace. Or don't embrace. Which makes her kind-of cool. 

The other day she posted this new group to Facebook. There is only one word in this whole thing that applies to me. It's walk.

El Camino de Santiago is a 500 mile pilgrimage in the north of Spain. For centuries, peregrinos (pilgrims in Spanish) have walked the path of St. James from the southern Pyrenees Mountains in France to the Spanish coast in Galicia. Peregrinos of all faiths, and even no faith at all, have walked the rugged terrain of northern Spain in order to pray on their feet, to better understand themselves, to find relief from stresses of life, to experience the comraderie and kindness of strangers.

Then there's info on why she's doing it. Let's just leave it as C19 spoiled more plans.

The Camino is for everyone, and it is as much a spiritual journey as it is a physical one. So, we invite our friends in the Lehigh Valley (Christian, Jewish, Muslim, other, etc...) to walk with us in the various neighborhoods of the Lehigh Valley, and while we walk we pray for the breakdown of the systemic racism in our community, for the remission of the coronavirus and a suitable treatment and/or vaccine, for the unity of people who come from different cultures and different life experiences. We need each other, and after all, if we're going to see change in our small world, we need to walk together. We feel strongly that this group should stay limited to the Lehigh Valley. If you have friends that want to join, encourage them to start a group in their own communities, where they can advocate for much needed change.

Then there are the rules. I still can't believe I said yes. I can do #1 and #7. And maybe #4. But if you see blue, these are not in my wheelhouse.

1. Commit to a specific length of walk a day. Leonardo and I are going with five miles a day, so that we actually reach the 400ish mile mark of the Camino by mid-September. But if one block, a few feet, or even 10 miles (traditional length of mileage per day on the Camino) is good for you, do it. This is your journey.
2. Choose a "saint" whose work and life you'll meditate on while walking your journey. This saint does not have to be a saint in the Catholic or Christian sense. It can be a humanitarian, whose work inspires you to serve in a greater capacity. For example, you can read Dr. King, St. Teresa of Calcutta, Cesar Chavez, Nelson Mandela. It's your choice, again, your journey. BUT NO PROSELYTIZING.
3. Be prepared to share one belief, saying, or inspirational quote from your saint every week, as a way of inspiring your fellow peregrinos.
4. On Sunday evenings, we'll measure our miles against the actual mileage of the Camino and see where we all are on the map. In the spirit of Spanish cuisine, we'll share tapas (traditional small meals shared among friends). These tapas might happen at a local park, where we can safely socially distance, or they might happen online via Zoom or Facebook Groups. ...
5. Share photos of your Covid-19 safe walks around the Valley. Try walking through neighborhoods that are not your own, reading work from a saint that comes from a different culture than your own, and letting God speak to your heart, where you are, in this tumultuous moment in our lives together. Be open to the challenge God brings into your life on this journey and know that you have a community to hold you up when you're tired and frustrated.
6. Be prepared to share your experiences as you feel comfortable. ...
7. We walk from June 20th, the summer solstice, to September 20th, almost the autumn solstice. This will bring us to, approximately, 400 miles if we're walking five or six miles a day. Whatever YOU can consistently walk, bike, hike, or move is good. Stationary bikes and treadmills are good on rainy or extra hot days, as are your stairs and pacing in your living room. Whatever. Hope you join us!

This begins tomorrow. I'll be working all day and helping Lydia with wedding crap in the evening. It should be interesting.

Now who the hell am I going to pick? I can't show up without a person tomorrow. And "Grandmas Greenwood" doesn't count. This is going to be an "enlightened" group.