Becoming a Secular Pilgrim
/A thousand miles on the Camino de Santiago
Hikers on The Camino De Santiago (Photo by Beth Jusino)
Beth Jusino was not the kind of person you’d expect to go on a pilgrimage that involved walking 1,000 miles.
She was neither outdoorsy nor religious, and she wasn’t plagued by the kind of traumatic experiences that often prompt people to embark on big journeys.
But she was burnt out.
Craving a break from her hectic life, she set her sights on the Camino de Santiago, a pilgrimage route through Europe dating back to the Middle Ages.
Her book Walking to the End of the World chronicles the trip, and on this episode, she joins us to talk about it.
Beth’s story is a testament to the beautiful things that can happen when you stop saying, “I could never do that.” And it’s a powerful reminder that disentangling ourselves from our responsibilities and compulsions can help us grow and thrive.
“I’m glad that we took this trip for as long as we did — I’m glad that we went for 79 days — because it took that long to un-peel my fingers, one by one, from my need to plan and control.”
