My return from the Camino was nearly two months ago and I still think about the trail every day.  I miss being outside daily, communing with nature, feeling the sun on my skin, the wind in my hair and the earth beneath my feet. And surprising, I also miss the things I hated on when I was there. I miss the relentless forward motion of the trail, the difficult climbs, the agonizing descents and the simple challenge of learning to live simply.

It was indeed a life changing adventure, but my life has not changed in a dramatic outward way. In fact, things seem very much the same. My body is slowly returning to the soft flesh that I began with.  I returned to the same rat race, rushing to the same appointments and trying to beat the same deadlines. I still cave into those familiar external stresses and sometimes lose my cool. I still curse at bad drivers, feel anger at the current state of our political climate and  feel blue when things don’t go as planned. I did not return as some calm zen master, as I had hoped.

However, my long hike across Spain did open up small shifts in perspective that have positively impacted my life. Chief among my insights is this: Our intentions create our environments. If we want magic, we start with looking for and anticipating magic. The Camino was special because I decided it was special.  I trained for it, I researched about it and I expected that it would be an amazing adventure. Each day on the trail, I looked for and anticipated something extraordinary. I took the time to contemplate beauty, to appreciate the small, intricate ways the Universe worked in my favor  and I saw the challenges as just a part of the journey and not as some failure on my part. The lesson of the Camino is to approach every day life in the same way. And while I have not quite mastered it yet, I can feel the quiet whisper of the Camino each day as it reminds me of its secrets. The Camino gently advises me to take a few extra moments in the morning to sit on the back porch and soak in the beauty of the woodlands behind my house. As I savor the warm coffee in my hands and watch the woods slowly come alive, I remember the peace of Nature. A hawk visits me each morning, lighting upon the top of a pine tree and calling out a good morning in its shrill cry. This is magic. I am transported back to the trail, back to communion with Nature, back to the Source.

Upon returning home from the Camino, I accepted a job offer with a previous employer. The timing, the people and the pieces all seemed to fall perfectly into place. The Camino gently nudged me and I offered up my thanks to the Universe for the magic of synchronicity.

There have also been bumps in the road. Juggling a new job, assisting my husband with the business on the weekends and dealing with all the holidays has been challenging. At these times, the Camino rumbles from deep within. It reminds me of the exhaustion, the rocky descents, the bruised feet, the crankiness and the sleepless nights. The Camino winks at me, a sparkle in its eye because it knows that it is just part of the journey, that before I know it the trail will change and I will begin climbing up to a magnificent view again.