Dear Friends and Loved Ones:
Well, here we are 5 days before departure and things are getting dicey.
Below is what Izabela, my walking Buddy sent to her contacts and to avoid
reinventing the wheel, I am sending
it to you as well. Then the "rest of the story...." Izabela is a world
competitive, professional dancer just to orient you to her opening
comments.
Izabela says:
While some of my friends are packing for Blackpool, the
most glamorous dance competition in the world, I am packing for the humblest
hike of my life! Up to now, I only knew how to pack suitcases filled with
evening gowns, but now, I am puzzling over the weight of my backpack. Everything
adds up quickly and even the thought of giving up my beloved Chanel mascara is
tough!
As I worry about that, let me tell you about our route
on the Camino de Santiago. Our journey starts Wednesday, May 14, with a Delta
flight to Paris. Then, it's off to southern France by train. In St. Jean Pied de
Port, we will receive our pilgrim passports. On Friday, my friend Sidney
Bonvallet and I will start our hike on the French part of the trail called the
Camino Francés. Our 500-mile hike will lead us through four different regions of
Spain.
· First is the most
grueling trek, over the Pyrenees
Mountains and into
Navarra.
· Next is
La Rioja, a region of
rich vineyards that
produce the area's
famous wine.
· The most challenging
segment is called the Meseta.
This never-ending landscape of
wheat crops is said to remove all external distraction
and to leave pilgrims with nothing
but their own thoughts.
· The last region,
Galicia, will provide a glorious sight of rolling hills and
lush forests – a nice welcome into Santiago de
Compostela, our
goal!
All along the Camino de Santiago are special hostels
called Albergues, where Sidney and I will have our Pilgrim passports stamped and
make stops for the nights, sometimes with 100 other pilgrims in one room! Our
journey will end on June 24, at the cathedral in Santiago de
Compostela.
To do something that I have never done is scary but also
exhilarating. I am ready for the challenge and happy to share our experiences
with you. Check our Facebook page, “Walk for Hope of Children,” for more stories
and pictures.
Now, it's time to finish my packing! Hmmm, that mascara
is only 22 grams…
Adios mis amigos!
Izabela
"NOW, FOR THE REST OF THE
STORY...."
Wayne weighed and weighed my backpack, but the dial
stubbornly would not move! It is 4 pounds overweight and it is somebody's
fault.
Guess if I want that scale to change, something will
have to go. Understand, everything we will need for 40 days is on our back.
What could
I possibly live without. Well... per my new friend Pat,
I must empty out the whole backpack and pick up each item one by one, and say
out
loud, "Is this absolutely essential, or is it my FEAR?"
Since in that moment I felt "fearless," I figured this would be a piece of
cake. So, I picked
up my socks - definitely Essential right? Yeah, but 6
pairs? 3 pairs had to go. Pants... 3 pairs went down to 2 pairs... 3 shirts
instead of 5. Now
I'm really panicking. But I had not counted on putting
back in my tiny (little, very small) camera and charger, so all that loss
was
swallowed up right before my very eyes. But let's keep
going... I finally connected with the genius of the exercise, and thought only
SURVIVAL.
Under Wayne's watchful and sympathetic eye I agonizingly
discorded one thing after another until I had unloaded 2 1/2 pounds of FEAR.
Yes,
fear... Fear that if I didn't have a BIG tube of
toothpaste, I would lose my teeth... Fear that without cologne, I couldn't be a
girl... Fear that if
I didn't have the super duper Swiss Army Knife complete
with corkscrew, toothpick and fingernail file on it, my life would be over... It
was quite
an exercise and I finally ALMOST met my goal. I COULD
NOT AND WOULD NOT give up the 12 Moon Pies that Jack's Cosmic Dog gave
me
for the trail. That was asking too much. Don't worry,
I won't carry that box of Moon Pies until I personally eat them all one by one.
I will sit
down on that trail at my first rest stop, wait for other
Pilgrims to show up, and we will have the best "Moon Pie Party" you ever heard
of. (Thank
you Dave and Jack)!
THEN, my pack will be perfect and my greatest fears will
subside (that I am never going to get to eat again).
Oh, I must make one other very small confession. I
bought this really "cool," high tech, almost weightless hat.
My trademark on any of my far out adventures is my hat
with 12 "worry dolls" around the band. There is one for each month, they do all
the
worrying so you I don't
have to
worry about anything. I had these beautiful
worry dolls the Venda people made out of metal and beads.
And, I sewed 12 on my
high tech, used to be weightless
hat. Well, I'm wearing it on my head, right? So that doesn't
count.
In starting this magnificent adventure, I have thought
about WHY? for some time. Why am I doing this? For me, it will be a personally
enlightening
spiritual pilgrimage, and to help our
precious children in the Venda Villages with all the funds raised. So many of
you were so generous and gave from
your heart. I am still touched by
the response to my little card asking for your help. Because of you, a
significant transformation will occur for so
many in the villages. For now,
this seems to be my WHY? But, I will remain open in case my God has plans I
hadn't thought of yet.
Walking 15 - 17 miles a day for 36 days
just might bring out something that had not been revealed to me yet. I am
exhilarated by the possibilities.
Please keep Izabela and I in your
prayers for safety, protection and courage. I will try to publish one more
edition before we leave Wednesday.
Love, Sidney
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