I recently had the opportunity of a lifetime: walking the 825-kilometer Camino del Norte in Spain. Over 37 days, I averaged about 14 miles a day along rugged terrain and a stunning coastline that often reminded me of home. It became the most meaningful experience of my life—second only to having my amazing kids.

Each day settled into a simple, grounding rhythm: walk, eat, rest, connect. Along the way, I met pilgrims from all over the world—people I never would have crossed paths with otherwise—many of whom have become friends. We still check in on each other regularly, bound by a shared experience that’s hard to explain unless you’ve lived it.

Receiving my Compostela certificate on my 55th birthday felt like the perfect ending. Walking into the square in Santiago—the finish line, the culmination of weeks of effort and intention—I was overwhelmed with emotion. And what surprised me most was that the feeling didn’t fade. Every time I returned to that square before leaving Santiago, watching others arrive for the first time, the emotion came rushing back all over again.

This experience changes you.

I’m deeply grateful that I trusted the nudge, took the leap, and went. What stayed with me most wasn’t what people had accomplished in their lives, but who they were—people still searching, still open, willing to slow down, to want less, to feel more. There’s a shared understanding on the Camino that “the Camino provides.”

That things work out.

That you keep going.

That you breathe, trust, and let go.

Just. Be.