I’ve gotten a bit behind on linking my bustedhalo.com posts to this site, so here’s one that was published a couple weeks ago: ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Not too long after I returned from walking the 500-mile Camino to Santiago my mother said, “Your brother-in-law is very impressed.” “Really?” “Yeah. He gave you three days.” “Three days? He didn’t think I’d…
Category: Travels
Finding Time to Walk The Camino
“How were you able to take so much time off from work to hike the Camino?” a reader asked a few weeks ago. The short answer is this: I resigned. However, you don’t have to leave your job behind in order to walk the Camino. If you’ve been thinking you’d like to take the journey to…
A Shared Meal
The kitchen had no stove, but that wasn’t going to stop us. “We can just make a big salad,” Philipp said. We all agreed and off we went to the only market in town. Besides the lettuce, tomatoes, and onion we bought white asparagus, zucchini, and olives – things I had never put on salads back home. But…
Scenes from a Writing Retreat
It started in 2008 when four of us met in a writing class at the John C. Campbell Folk School. An on-line critique group was formed. Two years later we reunited at JCCFS, added another person to our ranks, and then decided to hold our own writing retreats. They were yearly at first. Now they’re…
Finding Community
“I feel like my week is off somehow if I don’t come,” I said to Chris as we left the coffee shop. I used to have that feeling about church. Now, I have that feeling about a Tuesday morning gathering — a gathering of returned Camino pilgrims. I went on the Camino in part to find…
A Single Purpose
What do I miss most about the Camino? If I had to choose just one thing, I’d say, “The simplicity of it all.” More specifically, the fact that there was just one item on my to-do list most days: walk. Click here to read more.
Let Your Body be Your Guide
“So how far are you planning to walk today?” was a question often heard on the Camino. In the early days of my walk to Santiago, I knew the answer. I had an Excel spreadsheet that listed all the towns in which I planned to stop and the distances between them — in both miles and…
Quit a Job to Go To Italy? A Story about Motivation
In January of 2006, while on a beach in the Florida Keys with two dear friends from my college days, my mother called me. After exchanging pleasantries about my trip, my mother got to her point. “So your grandmother joined a senior citizens group. And guess what the first thing was on the agenda of…
My Back Pocket
I have a piece of paper in my back pocket. My figurative back pocket, that is. In reality, the paper sits in a green file folder marked, “PT License.” The paper was issued by the state of New York. License #020405. I received it after successfully completing an accredited physical therapy curriculum and passing a…
Lessons From A Four Year Old
It was the shoes that first caught my attention. They lined both sides of three wide steps which led up to platform on which sat a tent. A sign on the top step said, “Please leave shoes here,” and people had – sandals, boots, flip-flops, sneakers. What was this place? Could I go in? Any…
RenaissanceRebecca 