In my last post, I was less than a day out from starting the Camino de Santiago. Here you now find me, having completed the walk – all 500 miles of it – and trying to figure out what life looks like after this amazing experience. I’m in the midst of some life transitions, which has opened up space to pray, discern, reflect, and write. You may notice, none of that writing has appeared on my website. You are very astute. And the reason is because I am working on a book about the Camino. I’ve had a sneaking suspicion for years that I would write a book, but I also had a deep sense that it needed to be a book that called out to me. I didn’t just want to write a book to write a book. This book screamed at me on the Camino and I knew I had to write it.
Burgos is an overwhelming city after two weeks of mostly small, poky villages along the Camino. I took my first rest day there and started it off with a massage. One of my best decisions ever. On the following day, I woke up early, still being on “Camino Time,” somehow found an open coffee shop (Spain tends to sleep in), and caught up on my journaling. I finished my coffee and began walking past the grand cathedral in Burgos, enjoying the site of two men playing paddle ball in front. I kept walking and ended up on this tree-lined promenade. There. That exact place. That exact moment. The idea of “Pilgrim” came to me. For some days, I was surprised at how alive I felt in walking the Camino. I expected my pilgrimage to be full of suffering, and even though it was the hardest thing I’d ever done, I felt such deep joy as I walked. What is happening here?
As a spiritual director, I’m always curious about how we grow and deepen in relationship with God. I started looking at pilgrimage through this lens and began to see that this way of life has a sort of simple structure. Then I realized that this structure, this rhythm of life, doesn’t require walking miles and miles. This way of life is a spiritual pilgrimage, a way of being with God and others. I wanted the people in my life to experience this same depth of joy. And that was the birth of “Pilgrim: How Pilgrimage Can Transform Our Vision For The Good Life”.
In the months since I’ve returned, I’ve been working on the book and learning about the publishing world. Even though I’ve been writing for years now, I’ve mostly operated within the blogosphere and internal publishing at Saddleback Church. Learning how to get published has definitely been its own unique pilgrimage. I still have much to learn, but I am close to finishing and submitting my book proposal.
As I’m on this route, I’d love for you to join me! I’ve added a new tab to this website, “Pilgrim”. Click on the tab to read more about the project and to sign up for my monthly newsletter! I’m also posting regularly about my process on Twitter, @jenmanglos.
Thanks for joining me on Pilgrimage 2.0!
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