I recently finished Sonia Choquette's new book, Walking Home, practically in record time and that is for good reason. I saw Sonia speak a few months ago, but prior to that I had never heard of her. As someone who is always curious to learn and grow and expand my mind, I was thrilled to find that I connected to a lot that she talked about in her presentation. So I figured I would pre-order her new book about walking the Camino de Santiago.
The book starts off with a little bit of back story, and although much of it I had already heard when I saw her speak, I enjoyed the build up. After much loss and heart ache, she is called to walk the Camino de Santiago to heal her heart and find peace with her past as well as her relationships. On the brink of divorce and fresh off the devastating loss of both her brother and her father, she sets out for France.
Having never been much into hiking, this was a curious choice for her, but as she was being called to do it, she didn't question it much.
As she journeys nearly 500 miles over the Pyrenees and across Spain, she goes through a whole host of emotions. From angry and bitter, to vulnerable and raw, she arrives in Santiago in a much different place than when she began.
Her inspiring journey is one of many books about the life-changing journey across the Camino, and yet, I connected to it in a very real way. I came to the realization by the end of the book, that I share many of the same experiences, feelings, and reactions that Sonia describes in this book. And because of that, I find myself searching for information on walking the Camino de Santiago on a daily basis ever since I put the book down. Maybe I will walk the Camino, and maybe I won't. But Sonia unknowingly changed the path of my own journey and set me off in search of more knowledge about these common traits that we share.
If you are a curious, open-minded person I recommend this book. Even if it doesn't inspire you to walk the Camino, it just might inspire you to find your own path.
