Testimonios peregrinos

MAY 5 - LEAVING SANTIAGO - THANK YOU CAMINO!
 

I am up early and seriously considering going for a run before breakfast.
There has been a shift in my body and after not walking for only 1 day it
is feeling “cagey”. It just needs physical activity. Never felt like this
before…hopefully a long-lasting benefit of the camino.
I will be leaving Santiago today and taking the overnight bus to Madrid for my flight home tomorrow. Tony was able to call me at my hotel and it was amazing to hear his voice. We have only spoken 4-5 times since I left… I really miss him. He is picking me up from the airport and taking me out to my favorite local pizza place in Chattanooga. We have been married for almost 17 years but I have had those crazy schoolgirl stomach butterflies for the last day just thinking about coming home to him. :-)
My emotions are still all over the map. I feel like I have a 2nd chance to
reinvent myself when I return home. I plan to start volunteering again and living a life more connected to others in my immediate community. I think I found myself on the camino and lost my inner “bitch” that has been hitchhiking in my life for the last few years. I feel free. I feel like Tracey again.
The one incredible thing I noticed when I walked into Santiago the other day but needed some time to reflect on was how LIGHT my backpack felt. I kept going through it thinking I had left something out, but everything was there. It was almost like someone had their hand underneath supporting the weight. I think the lightness was me leaving behind all of the past and unimportant parts of my life. My new life began when I arrived in Santiago.
I know how lucky I am to have had this amazing opportunity.
Well, I am going to go out for a quick run now as I did eat a grande hot
chocolate with churros last night. :-)
Buen camino-
Tracey