To the Sea, You & Me-My Way

It’s my life
It’s now or never
I ain’t gonna live forever
I just want to live while I’m alive (It’s my life)
My heart is like an open highway
Like Frankie said
I did it my way
I just want to live while I’m alive
It’s my life

In 2016, I was selected by the company that I was working for to participate in Platinum Exchange Women’s Leadership Program. Platinum Exchange – the brain child of Kerrie Halmi – is a six-month, comprehensive, high impact leadership development program for women. Coming from different backgrounds, having individual goals, aspirations, titles and careers, we were all very unique. But were we? Interestingly, we all had the same issues, struggles, hurdles, and concerns when it came to being a woman and juggling careers, workplace environments, and a plethora of other things.

At the last class, one of the assignments was to pick a personal theme song, followed by singing it out loud to the rest of the group while dancing down a path outlined by all of the participants. It was reminiscent of the the wedding scene at the end of the movie Hitch, but very less choreographed and much more raw. Many of the gals panicked with the thought of figuring out what their song might be coupled with performing it to the group.

Fortunately since it’s release in May, 2000, John Bon Jovi’s It’s My Life has always been the song that continuously plays through my mind. How apropos for him to include a part from Frank Sinatra’s My Way. Melding an old classic with rock-n-roll, Bon Jovi belts out my theme loud and clear –  Like Frankie said I did it my way, I just want to live while I’m alive, It’s My Life!

On August 17th, I woke to the words of Julia Roberts portraying Liz Gilbert in a favorite movie (and book)  Eat Pray Love. swirling around in my head…Hadn’t I wanted this?…..Why didn’t I see myself in any of it? The only thing more impossible than staying was leaving…and not stop running until I reached Greenland. Greenland, however was not my desire but the Camino de Santiago – the Way of St. James which a large network of ancient pilgrim routes stretching across Europe and coming together at the tomb of St. James in Santiago de Compostela. 

I have been talking about walking the Camino since the movie The Way, released in October, 2010. The movie honors the Camino de Santiago and promotes the traditional pilgrimage through the story of a father – Martin Sheen – that does not understand the ways of  his estranged son – Emilio Estevez. Due to the unfortunate death of his son shortly after he leaves St Jean Pied de Port – the starting point of the French route – the father travels to France to pick up his son’s remains. During the process, he decides to fulfill his son’s dream and walks the trail distributing his ashes as he progresses.

In the beginning he is harried, cold, and couldn’t be bothered with anything or anyone. He was on a mission with a cause – to finish the trek. He completely misses the point of what walking the Camino was all about. The journey opens his eyes and mind allowing him to not only understand and become closer to his son, but also allows him to confront his own demons along with the pilgrims that he meets and travels with. By the end of the movie, Sheen’s character has changed for the better, has made new friends, and has a new appreciation and understanding of his son, and of life.

Pilgrims have been walking The Camino de Santiago for centuries, initially for religious or spiritual reasons. Today, however the reasons are plentiful. Whether religious or spiritual, connecting with nature or oneself, escaping or disconnecting from daily life, health and exercise, challenging the mind and body, self-reflection and realization…the list is endless. Whatever the reason – big or small – making the decision to walk the Camino is very personal and unique to each individual.

The popularity of the Camino has grown tremendously over the past years, in fact over 300.0K pilgrims received the  Compostela in 2017 alone. Could this popularity be driven from the movie, the many books that have been published, the friendships gained, or the stories and experiences from those that have tackled the challenge before us? Is it because life today is so full of noise and chaos and is complicated and crazy? Most of the time we are all caught in the tornado of chaos causing us to forget what is really important, to forget to take time for and to take care of ourselves, and missing most if not all of the messages that the universe is trying to convey. I think that the growing interest is probably a combination of many reasons. With said, I believe that one of the biggest is due to the tornado of chaos that we are all caught up in causing the need to erase and reboot.

After waking that fateful morning of August 17th, I not only went to REI to purchase a pair boots and started walking, but also spent the next three days surfing the web and sending emails to find the right journey for me. I found that all had pros and cons, but more importantly time was of the essence as most programs conclude by the end of October/early November at the latest due to Winters onset. None of them spoke to me. On Sunday night, I threw my idea to the universe and essentially gave up on trying to accomplish walking the Camino this year, at least for the moment.

Monday morning arrived with a gnawing desire, a desire so strong, I could not shake it. I needed to search one last time…It’s now or never. I changed my search words  and there was my trip, at the top of my search list – Hiking the Pilgrims’ Footsteps at El Camino de Santiago from The New York Times Journeys. Immediately, I picked up my mobile and called. I found that due to the last minute-ness of my booking request, inquiries had to be made. Fortunately, there was one space still available. The universe listened, it was meant to be. In a little over six weeks, I would be on My Way, my personal adventure of a lifetime.

I conclude with a concept that was once very foreign and now, very apropos. It was introduced at the end of  Eat, Pray, Love and is called Physics of the Quest. Physics of the Quest is a force in nature governed by laws, laws that are as real as the laws of gravity. It goes something like this… if you are brave enough to leave behind everything familiar and comforting, which can be anything – house, resentments – and set out on a journey – either externally or internally – and if you are truly willing to regard everything that happens to you on the journey as a clue and if you accept everyone alone the way as a teacher, and if you are prepared most of all to face and forgive very difficult realities about yourself and the truth will not be withheld from you.

Today, September 26th, I will board Air France flight AF0083 – my favorite airline @ the mo, see my earlier post Angel in the Sky with a Diamond – in San Francisco enroute to Bilbao, Spain via Paris, France. This is when I will leave behind everything familiar and comforting and begin my adventure.

In Bilbao, I will meet twenty-two others plus our special guides and we will commence our trek on October 1st. I will challenge my body and my mind as I embark on this journey. I will think about what is important to me, live in the moment, and open myself and regard everything that happens…as a clue and…accept everyone along the way as a teacher. I will try to face and forgive very difficult realities about myself.

At the end of journey, we will visit Finisterre, a village on the Atlantic Ocean, hence my blog title – To the Sea, You & Me – My Way. It was believed that this was the end of the world. Many pilgrims would continue on to Finisterre after completing the Camino in order to to meditate on their journey. Sheen’s character did just this as the movie concludes. This was the final stop for him where he releases the remaining ashes of his son and has a new appreciation for life and all that it offers.

I look forward to figuring out or at least having the opportunity to utilize this trip to think about my life and what the next possibilities might be. I look forward to facing my demons and releasing them into the sea just like those fellow pilgrams that I follow.

So you see, the words Bon Jovi sings are still so very apropos for me. It’s now or never, I ain’t gonna live forever, I just want to live while I’m alive, It’s My Life! And…I’m doing it my way, just like Frank.

A bientôt!

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