One year ago today, I began my pilgrimage on the Camino de Santiago.

Some days, it still feels like a dream. Like a memory that exists in another lifetime. I remember that first morning vividly: sitting across from three strangers at breakfast, nervous and sleep-deprived. It was my first time ever staying in a hostel, and I had no idea what lay ahead. My mind was buzzing with anticipation and doubt.

Little did I know, those strangers would become my “Camino Family.”

That first day was unforgettable. We crossed the majestic Pyrenees, walking 15 miles through vast open plains where wild horses ran freely. We paused for espresso and warm food, fueled by the pure exhilaration of the unknown. I met people from all corners of the world and, somehow, it felt like we had known each other forever. Each time we crossed paths again in the days that followed, it was like reuniting with long-lost friends.

The Camino gives you time. Time to think, time to feel, and just as importantly, time to not think at all. All you really have to do is keep walking. That’s the task, the practice, the surrender.

Looking back, I could never have imagined what the journey would offer. The Camino is such a beautiful mirror to life: we don’t need to worry so much about what’s ahead. What we truly need is always provided, a roof to rest beneath, food to nourish our bodies, and the companionship of others on the path.

I think about the Camino often and sometimes wish I could do it all over again. Maybe that’s how we’ll feel at the end of our lives too, wondering what we would do differently, what we wouldn’t change for anything. My first Camino was perfect in its own wild, mysterious way. And yet, I find myself dreaming of doing it again, maybe next time with someone I love. There’s something profound about sharing a journey like that. It reminds me why we form partnerships, why we marry, why lifelong friendships matter. Sharing our lives makes the experience deeper.

A year later, I still don’t fully understand how the Camino changed me. I don’t know if I’m fundamentally different, but I do know that I’m capable of more than I imagined. That walk reconnected me with the divine, with the loving force of our Creator, and with the sacred power of the present moment.

It reminded me that whatever we need, the universe will provide. That we don’t need to worry about finding the way — the way finds us.

Just keep walking. One step at a time.