I’ve dropped hints and slipped it into conversations for some time now. In private its been a more openly celebrated ambition. At first I only dared to share the dream with a small intimate circle of support, until at last this past Sunday I tweeted and posted on my Facebook page:
3 years ago I could not walk 15 meters without severe pain.Today I begin to train for walking 125km on the Camino de Santiago. #miracle
— Katie Hart (@FlowingUnder) May 19, 2013
I celebrate and am honored to be walking the Camino. I join with peregrinos who whether by foot, horse, bicycle or other means embark on this intentional embodiment of the hero’s journey. As I prepare I look back on where it is I’ve come from and how I came to be where I am now.
Yes. Much to be celebrated, much to be honored, much to be told.
At the front of what I celebrate today is this: I have ME and Fibromyalgia. I’ve lived with these for decades. I continue to live with it in humility and gratitude. There are no magic cures to be found in my story. My story is not one of medical miracle nor does it contain a regime to duplicate. If you find me seeking answers, my story may offer some but know this: my hope is to leave you with more questions. Because it is from the questions I’ve been led to ask by my the many allies and trusted mentors that I found myself learning how to meet life with love – exactly as it is. Love equal in the seat of my ‘little red dragon’ as in my fancy new hiking shoes. Life exactly as it is from the respite of my bed to the breathless heights of mountain peaks.
My first training excursion is on the record. A gentle hike from our home along the Rio Santo, named such for having flowed in a time of great drought, to a nearby village and back along the GR-7. At just under 8km it didn’t feel like much in terms of physical challenge as we walked, but the next few days kept reality in check and I kept my ibuprofen close by. The smallest glimpse into questions I will be led to ask and how life will meet me as I prepare for the camino. I’m still working on exactly how sharing my camino will take shape here on Flowing Underground. I ask that you bear with me as I find a voice where I can share what is an intensely personal experience in a way that is transparent and still holding up a veil to protect the solitude of my own process.
As with all things here at Flowing Underground … Lets see where this takes us!
Buen Camino!
I would love to hear your story! Hopefully it is here on the blog and will take a look; no one else’s story is a cure for anyone else, but I’ve seen so few positive Fibromyalgia / CFS / ME etc. stories that every single one is important.
I went on the Camino with the attitude of, “Ok, this year, I’m older, I’ve got arthritis and some weird joint pains, if my body can’t do it, and the pain becomes too bad, I will listen to my body and humbly accept that I must stop.” Unbelievably, my pain LESSENED and I achieved athletic feats I never thought possible even when I was younger! Now, that doesn’t mean I was “pain-free”– blisters and sore, overused muscles hurt! But the tenor of the pain is different than from a chronic pain syndrome or osteoarthritis. Exercise helps like nothing else for many people. Personally, I think it requires the brains and nerves and such.
I am wishing you all the luck in the world! Please keep blogging, and BUEN CAMINO!
Thanks Dina!
I’m working on how best to tell my story in a way that is inspirational yet real. Like I said – there are no miracle cures to be found. There are deliberate steps taken in all aspects of my life to make it possible to live the best life possible, some easier than others, some more helpful than others. Exercise was always a terrible trigger for flares in the past and it is only in the recent times that I’ve been able to do anything. Even yoga was too much for years. It is still a fine balance that I expect will be pushed to limits I have yet to discover during my camino!
I will be turning 70 this coming March and I am planning on walking the Camino in Sept. of the same year. I have begun my training now. I have arthritis but the more I walk the better I feel. I am looking so forward to the adventure.
I am so happy I found this blog on FB…the more I read the more excited I become!
Buen Camino!
Honored to have you along for this journey, Sharon! Buen Camino!
Good luck on your Camino. I went last summer from St. Jean all of the way to Finisterre, a little to my surprise. I met one lady with Fibromyalgia and one with arthritis on the Camino and they seemed to do pretty well so it can be done. I guess one of the main things is to respect the Camino. It can make the strong weak and the weak strong.
As in all things I believe. Respect for the condition of what is, now.
Thanks for reading and sharing your experiences!
Dear Katie,
I also have fibromyalgia, and want to walk the 500 mile camino 3 months from now. I would love to know what your experience was.
Thanks for an enlightening answer!
Katie
Katie G: My experience on the camino was life changing. I met many people along the way who became part of ‘my story’ and I a part of theirs. As always, listen to your body. Rest when needed. Don’t feel pressure to go fast. Accept that sometimes you might need help and it is okay. Doing a camino is like life itself, no surprises in that respect. I only did 200km because of the time limit I had available but it was still a significant physical challenge for me. Keep walking everywhere and as often as you can in preparation and don’t stop walking when you get back! Good luck with it all.