Walking Away: 500 Miles of Grief on the Camino de Santiago
Grief is a weight we carry long after loss, pressing down on our souls with every step. For many, the journey of healing is invisible—a slow, internal reckoning. But for some, healing demands movement, a physical pilgrimage to match the emotional one. That was my reason for walking the Camino de Santiago, the ancient 500-mile trail across Spain. With each step, I hoped to leave behind the grief that had settled in my bones.
The Decision to Walk
Loss had shattered my world. The death of a loved one—sudden, cruel, and absolute—left me untethered. I no longer recognized my own life. Friends spoke in hushed voices, offering condolences I couldn’t bear to hear. The walls of my home felt suffocating, filled with memories that once brought comfort but now only echoed absence.
Then, one evening, I stumbled upon the idea of the Camino de Santiago. A centuries-old pilgrimage, walked by seekers of all kinds—those searching for faith, for clarity, for themselves. Something about it called to me. Maybe it was the idea of a destination, of walking toward something instead of drowning in the past. Or maybe it was the simplicity of it: wake up, walk, eat, sleep, repeat. No decisions, no obligations—just movement.
