{"id":8930,"date":"2012-08-11T15:20:36","date_gmt":"2012-08-11T23:20:36","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.thomryng.com\/amateurmonk\/why\/"},"modified":"2013-02-20T09:43:44","modified_gmt":"2013-02-20T17:43:44","slug":"why","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.thomryng.com\/amateurmonk\/why\/","title":{"rendered":"Why?"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"\"<\/a><\/p>\n

Why walk the Camino? Why would anybody want to spend a month walking nearly 500 miles through northern Spain? <\/p>\n

Why do I?<\/p>\n

That’s a darn fine question. I wish I had a good answer.<\/p>\n

When somebody asks me, I usually reply with a glib, “obviously, I’m an idiot.” The truth is, I don’t know why I feel called to the Camino. <\/p>\n

There is a desire, obviously, to have this grand adventure, but that seems more a result of my gathering determination and excitement to just do<\/em> the thing. It’s part of the result, rather than the cause.<\/p>\n

God calls me to the Camino. Maybe it’s as simple as that, and one shouldn’t question motives so much.<\/p>\n

My friend Adam has suggested to me that it’s my love of medieval history that is my primary inspiration, combined with the romance of the pilgrimage trail. There’s certainly something to what he says, but if that was the whole of it, I’d walk or boat up the Rhine and Mosel<\/a> and into France. What I know about Medieval Spain could comfortably fit onto one sheet of paper.<\/p>\n

There’s certainly an inkling in my brain that maybe there’s a book here, but again, that’s part of the outcome, not the impetus. <\/p>\n

There’s the actual pilgrimage, of course – the spiritual journey or quest at the Camino’s heart. But to me, this seems like part of the process, the what<\/em> not the why<\/em>.<\/p>\n

All I know is this: it is a call, an external call that tugs at my heart and which has become a consuming obsession in my brain. Is this what the voice of God sounds like? The process of discernment is extremely similar to what I undertook when converting to Catholicism. <\/p>\n

It’s also similar in many ways to my courtship of Francine.<\/p>\n

So maybe that really is the simplest, truest answer. Why am I walking the Camino de Santiago? Because right now, this is where God calls me.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Why walk the Camino? Why would anybody want to spend a month walking nearly 500 miles through northern Spain? Why do I? That’s a darn fine question. I wish I had a good answer. When somebody asks me, I usually reply with a glib, “obviously, I’m an idiot.” The truth is, I don’t know why I feel called to the […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"nf_dc_page":"","_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"_jetpack_feature_clip_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":"","jetpack_publicize_message":"","jetpack_publicize_feature_enabled":true,"jetpack_social_post_already_shared":false,"jetpack_social_options":{"image_generator_settings":{"template":"highway","default_image_id":0,"font":"","enabled":false},"version":2},"jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false},"categories":[40],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-8930","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-camino"],"jetpack_publicize_connections":[],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"","jetpack_shortlink":"https:\/\/wp.me\/s1aGBK-why","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack_likes_enabled":false,"jetpack-related-posts":[{"id":107759,"url":"https:\/\/www.thomryng.com\/amateurmonk\/i-want-to-walk-for-you\/","url_meta":{"origin":8930,"position":0},"title":"I Want to Walk for You","author":"Thom","date":"20 April 2023","format":false,"excerpt":"weeks ago, I was struck by the thought of carrying others with me on my long Camino this autumn. Now I know what you're thinking. Sounds a little odd, yes? Perhaps the easiest way to clarify is to quote from the note to myself that I wrote back on April\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Camino"","block_context":{"text":"Camino","link":"https:\/\/www.thomryng.com\/amateurmonk\/category\/camino\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.thomryng.com\/amateurmonk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/04\/2023-04-15-17.50.45-scaled.jpg?fit=900%2C1200&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.thomryng.com\/amateurmonk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/04\/2023-04-15-17.50.45-scaled.jpg?fit=900%2C1200&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.thomryng.com\/amateurmonk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/04\/2023-04-15-17.50.45-scaled.jpg?fit=900%2C1200&ssl=1&resize=525%2C300 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.thomryng.com\/amateurmonk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/04\/2023-04-15-17.50.45-scaled.jpg?fit=900%2C1200&ssl=1&resize=700%2C400 2x"},"classes":[]},{"id":100831,"url":"https:\/\/www.thomryng.com\/amateurmonk\/the-camino-calls\/","url_meta":{"origin":8930,"position":1},"title":"The Camino Calls","author":"Thom","date":"30 December 2019","format":false,"excerpt":"I've been noodling about going on Camino. The Camino has been calling to me. First quietly but persistently, and now louder and insistently. Previously, we've walked the Camino Franc\u00e9s, starting in various places: Roncesvalles in 2013 (Le\u00f3n for Francine), Saint Jean Pied de Port in 2016, and O Cebreiro in\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Camino"","block_context":{"text":"Camino","link":"https:\/\/www.thomryng.com\/amateurmonk\/category\/camino\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.thomryng.com\/amateurmonk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/12\/100823-thumb.jpg?fit=765%2C1024&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.thomryng.com\/amateurmonk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/12\/100823-thumb.jpg?fit=765%2C1024&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.thomryng.com\/amateurmonk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/12\/100823-thumb.jpg?fit=765%2C1024&ssl=1&resize=525%2C300 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.thomryng.com\/amateurmonk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/12\/100823-thumb.jpg?fit=765%2C1024&ssl=1&resize=700%2C400 2x"},"classes":[]},{"id":107967,"url":"https:\/\/www.thomryng.com\/amateurmonk\/camino-training-update-feet-heat-and-shiny-umbrellas\/","url_meta":{"origin":8930,"position":2},"title":"Camino Training Update: Feet, Heat, and Shiny Umbrellas","author":"Thom","date":"20 July 2023","format":false,"excerpt":"a delay prompted by my injury, we are back to training in earnest! This week, I've added some weight back to my pack, taking me up to about 16.4 pounds (without water). The only things I haven't added back in yet are my breviary and prayerbook bundle, my \"strawberry troll\"\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Camino"","block_context":{"text":"Camino","link":"https:\/\/www.thomryng.com\/amateurmonk\/category\/camino\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.thomryng.com\/amateurmonk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/07\/2023-07-20-08.13.40-scaled.jpg?fit=1200%2C900&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.thomryng.com\/amateurmonk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/07\/2023-07-20-08.13.40-scaled.jpg?fit=1200%2C900&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.thomryng.com\/amateurmonk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/07\/2023-07-20-08.13.40-scaled.jpg?fit=1200%2C900&ssl=1&resize=525%2C300 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.thomryng.com\/amateurmonk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/07\/2023-07-20-08.13.40-scaled.jpg?fit=1200%2C900&ssl=1&resize=700%2C400 2x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.thomryng.com\/amateurmonk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/07\/2023-07-20-08.13.40-scaled.jpg?fit=1200%2C900&ssl=1&resize=1050%2C600 3x"},"classes":[]},{"id":90049,"url":"https:\/\/www.thomryng.com\/amateurmonk\/why-we-walk\/","url_meta":{"origin":8930,"position":3},"title":"Why We Walk","author":"Thom","date":"15 September 2018","format":false,"excerpt":"Prior to each of our previous Camino pilgrimages, I've tried to articulate why it is that we walk. Everybody's answer is, of course, different. It has ever been thus. Before my first Camino, I had this sense that God was calling me to it, and maybe that was enough of\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Camino"","block_context":{"text":"Camino","link":"https:\/\/www.thomryng.com\/amateurmonk\/category\/camino\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.thomryng.com\/amateurmonk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/09\/2018-09-14-12.09.27.jpg?fit=900%2C1200&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.thomryng.com\/amateurmonk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/09\/2018-09-14-12.09.27.jpg?fit=900%2C1200&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.thomryng.com\/amateurmonk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/09\/2018-09-14-12.09.27.jpg?fit=900%2C1200&ssl=1&resize=525%2C300 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.thomryng.com\/amateurmonk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/09\/2018-09-14-12.09.27.jpg?fit=900%2C1200&ssl=1&resize=700%2C400 2x"},"classes":[]},{"id":6445,"url":"https:\/\/www.thomryng.com\/amateurmonk\/equipment-update\/","url_meta":{"origin":8930,"position":4},"title":"Equipment Update","author":"Thom","date":"30 June 2012","format":false,"excerpt":"Over the course of my initial equipment acquisition and experimentation, the Camino Boards have been invaluable. My Keens are just fantastic \u2013 they were broken in by the end of my first hike. My pack \u2013 an Osprey Kestrel 48 \u2013 is comfortable and roomy. Even with 15 pounds packed\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Camino"","block_context":{"text":"Camino","link":"https:\/\/www.thomryng.com\/amateurmonk\/category\/camino\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"","width":0,"height":0},"classes":[]},{"id":86850,"url":"https:\/\/www.thomryng.com\/amateurmonk\/journal\/","url_meta":{"origin":8930,"position":5},"title":"Journal","author":"Thom","date":"23 February 2016","format":false,"excerpt":"A conversation about journaling comes round on the Camino forums every so often \u2013 what do you use, how do you do it, and so forth. Rather than ramble there on scattered threads, I thought it might be better to ramble here, where at least my ramblings have the virtue\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Camino"","block_context":{"text":"Camino","link":"https:\/\/www.thomryng.com\/amateurmonk\/category\/camino\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.thomryng.com\/amateurmonk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/02\/2016-02-23-05.55.04.jpg?fit=1200%2C900&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.thomryng.com\/amateurmonk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/02\/2016-02-23-05.55.04.jpg?fit=1200%2C900&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.thomryng.com\/amateurmonk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/02\/2016-02-23-05.55.04.jpg?fit=1200%2C900&ssl=1&resize=525%2C300 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.thomryng.com\/amateurmonk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/02\/2016-02-23-05.55.04.jpg?fit=1200%2C900&ssl=1&resize=700%2C400 2x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.thomryng.com\/amateurmonk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/02\/2016-02-23-05.55.04.jpg?fit=1200%2C900&ssl=1&resize=1050%2C600 3x"},"classes":[]}],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.thomryng.com\/amateurmonk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/8930","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.thomryng.com\/amateurmonk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.thomryng.com\/amateurmonk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.thomryng.com\/amateurmonk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.thomryng.com\/amateurmonk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=8930"}],"version-history":[{"count":4517,"href":"https:\/\/www.thomryng.com\/amateurmonk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/8930\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":46195,"href":"https:\/\/www.thomryng.com\/amateurmonk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/8930\/revisions\/46195"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.thomryng.com\/amateurmonk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=8930"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.thomryng.com\/amateurmonk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=8930"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.thomryng.com\/amateurmonk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=8930"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}