“With a deepening of focus, keen preparation, attention to the path below our feet, and respect for the destination at hand, it is possible to transform, even the most ordinary journey into a sacred journey, a pligrimage.” 

–  excerpt from Phil Cousineau’s, The Art of the Pilgrimage.

I remember when I first found The Art of the Pilgrimage. Kevin & I were still in the throes of being gainfully employed, but we had agreed on our plan to check out .

You know how some people collect stamps or salt & pepper shakers?  Well, I was busy acquiring every book I could find about living differently, traveling and alternative or simplified lifestyles. But when I found The Art of the Pilgrimage, I felt like I had found the book that held a very important key.

I’m thinking about this book again after my return from the writing conference at San Miguel de Allende.

Because, as I’ve discovered and confirmed over and over for myself; traveling is a pilgrimage. Like those ancient knights in search of the Holy Grail, I came home from this trip with my treasure. And the boon for me is the gift of knowing that I am now truly on the right path with what I need to write.

Attending the conference, meeting the presenters, other writers and dedicated readers has given me the clarity to know what I need to do, and most importantly, the way to do it.

And so, as I am wont to do, I am making an announcement to help hold my feet to the proverbial fire. That is;  I am writing a memoir.

No more throwing fictional smoke and mirrors on the subject. It is what it is and I need to get it down. Click cursor to screen, pen to page, chisel to tablet…(someone please make me stop).

T.S. Eliot said, “We shall not cease from exploration. And the end of all our exploring will be to arrive where we started and know the place for the first time.”