Almost Time to Go

We are getting down to the wire.  In a little less than 72 hours I'll be on a plane to Spain.  The bag has been test-packed and then re-packed.  My Madrid bag is also packed and ready to go.  Now it's simply a matter of the 67 other things I need to do that I can't think of right now, but will hopefully remember some time in the next couple of days.

Getting ready for the trip itself hasn't felt like a whirlwind, but there have been enough other things going on that I've felt overburdened.  This afternoon was the first time in a long time I simply sat down and did nothing for a bit.  As usual, there are a couple of Board meetings between me and the Camino, but one way or another, this is the home stretch.

This afternoon as I was packing, one of my Camino alums, Hunter, from the 2014 group came by to chat and for emotional packing support.  Almost right away Hunter asked me, "So what are you hoping to get out of this Camino?"  I have been wondering that myself, though I'll admit I haven't spent a lot of time thinking about it.  My first thought is that first and foremost, I want the students to have a good experience.  Of course, I may define that differently than them, but since I'm the one actually in charge, we'll roll with that assumption.  Beyond that?  There are a ton of questions and decisions I'd like to be pondering over the next seven weeks, but none of them are really important.  If it doesn't happen, it won't be the end of the world.

So what do I want out of this trip?  It seems like I should have some great cosmic life-changing quest, but I don't.  This is my third time through, so I'm going to take the same approach I've taken in the past, and simply try to be present and listen.  I haven't been disappointed yet, so I have faith that I won't this time either.  As always, I'm fairly certain that this little walk will give me perspective, lots of new friends, and new experiences.  And that's enough.