Focusing on the Goal: Camino Bound

conniesedona317

Jan 21

Last Friday, I stepped forward and made my deposit for the eighteen day, Portuguese Coastal Camino trip. I'll go with a group of ten with the company Prayerful Path https://prayerfulpath.com---headed up by Mary Maddox from the Atlanta area. It will be in August instead of June, as I originally posted. Looking at the calendar, I was struck by how quickly January is passing, and now there's less than 8 months til I leave for Porto, Portugal-- our starting point.

I've found it difficult to do the distance hikes to prepare--not only because of the holiday season and the winter weather; it's hard to find blocks of time to walk a greater distance. Looking at my schedule book, I see why; there are too many appointments--some required medical visits, others events with family and friends, and a regular sprinkling of dancing nights.

I think of the path that we walk through life, how instead of it being an up and down a hill, it's hopefully more of a spiral upward. Yes, we encounter some of the same struggles, challenges because we carry ourselves, our personalities. But hopefully, each time we come around we move higher in how we handle the challenge. Looking back over the past year, I see times I encountered the same issue of having "too much on my plate." I had worn myself down in the first quarter of the year trying to settle into my townhouse--and make it a place of beauty that was pleasing for me. I began to notice that I was tired and susceptible to illnesses.

In April, I attended the Van Gogh exhibit, "Van Gogh: An Immersive Experience. I was particularly interested because I love sunflowers. I thought about the word immersive, its meaning "absorbing involvement", and its implications. In a post that followed that visit to the exhibit Immerse Yourself: Choosing the One Thing I wrote:

"I think about my own life and how much of it has been spent being multi-focused, often multi-tasking. We all do this during the busy years of establishing careers, raising our children, caring for sick family members etc. But now that I'm retired, it seems I should be able to switch to more of a singular focus when I choose to. I find it hard to let go of feeling I have to be producing on multiple levels."

I had been very productive in my home and by the first of May, I ended up hospitalized with pneumonia. I spent hours in my bed, struck by how I had to cut things out, to go about life differently. Slowly I built my strength back and was more intentional about how I spent my energy. So there was improvement, but those new behaviors aren't 'one and done.' It takes resetting over and over again--which sometimes I fail to do. That's evident in my weekly planner.

Now, I think of gardening and how you can't let go of focusing on your plot of flowers because weeds will crop up and take over. You have to keep pulling out the weeds so the plants you've chosen can flourish. It's a discipline, watching for the small green invaders, taking care of them early before they steal the plant's nourishment. It reminds me that likewise, I need to be a vigilant caretaker of the garden of my life--recognizing quickly how the choices I make are either helping or getting in the way of the flowers I chose.

I reread my post from November 5th The Camino is Calling and it reminds me of what I must stop and do now:

"To make a choice to pursue one area, means there will be less time for other areas. In order to build up my strength and endurance, I will have to hike for hours and hours over the next months. There will be less time and energy for dancing in order to prepare for June; that is one of the costs of this endeavor. But for a "once in a lifetime experience," I think it will be worth it."

Now, I have a two-month extension of grace to be ready to go, to leave on August 6th. This decision will impact other decisions about how to go through each week. I'm the only one that can control how I spend my time. I have to keep my focus on preparing for the Camino, maintaining ties with family/friends, and prioritizing a new dating relationship. I must give myself permission to let go of other things.

How about you? Are there areas of your life that need a more intentional focus? Do you need to 'weed out' some activities in order to pursue your goal, your passion? Others who need you, who want your attention, may not understand, may not give you encouragement to make changes; it might not suit their needs.

I wish for all of us to evaluate this as we're early into 2024. Time goes so quickly and we have to be efficient in the choices we make about how to spend the hours. Whatever it is that you dream of, I hope you'll make it a priority; focus on it and then clear away all that could hinder you from realizing that dream.

Best to you all,

Connie