Why/How did you decide to do this trip?

Ok, so I was asked this question about 300 times. And after giving the same answer 300 times you'd think I would be through answering this question. But the truth is...this is a very good question and cuts deep to the root of who I am. So, who am I? I'm impulsive, spiritual and yes, I believe in signs. And it was a sign that led me to this journey. I was given a book, Travels With My Donkey (which is listed in the short reading list - by my reading list you can discern that I haven't really done a lot of homework for this trip.) At any rate, I was given this book about a man who decided to walk across Spain with a donkey. It was a funny travel story and most people would think nothing of it, me included. So I merely filed this trip away in the back of my mind as something I would like to do "someday". However, that changed when within a matter of two weeks I was given another book about the Camino. That struck me as an odd coincidence. A month after that, I was reading  a novel by Paulo Cuelo and he referenced the Camino in the novel. At that point, this trip was a done deal in my mind. Things happen in three's so I knew right then and there that I had to do this trip. So I cast my eyes skyward as I read the passage in Paulo Cuelo's book and said out loud, "Ok, already, I get the point. I'll go to Spain." 

Now there are other reasons, beyond the books, that this trip appeals to me. First off, it's a great chance to learn about a foreign country and move beyond the basic tourist trip. I like spending time in a country and there is really no better way to meet the locals and really learn about a culture than by walking across a county on your own two feet. Second, the trip would be physically demanding and I relished the idea of doing something challenging. And third, b/c as you know things happen in threes,  I loved the idea that I would receive absolution for all my sins at the end of the walk. Yep, that's right - absolution! Gotta love the Catholics!! Basically, if you register your "pilgrimage" as being for religious or spiritual reasons, and if you complete the required distance and get all of your stamps in your pilgrims credential along the route, then when you reach the final cathedral in Santiago de Compostela you will receive a certificate which historically has entitled the bearer to "absolution from all their sins from the day they were born until the day they received the certificate." 

Now this third reason is really the most compelling and really where the money is at. It's the most compelling because I can sin my way my throughout Spain knowing that all will be forgiven at the end. And it's the most lucrative because, as Stefan Lofgren pointed out to me, I could sell my "get out of hell free card" on ebay upon my return to the states!!  Think of it, I can sell "absolution" online - and I'm not even a priest! And for a small price (say the price of a roundtrip ticket to Spain, all expenses included, with a little extra thrown in to pay the bills while I'm away) you could be absolved too. So, if anyone knows any big time sinners with money, give them my name and let them know we can work a deal. Moreover, if anyone wants to join me in this bound to be lucrative money making venture, let me know. All you need is a good pair of boots and some HUTSPA!!!

ps) If anyone reading this takes me in the least bit seriously and is not laughing at this evident display of sarcasm then I ask that you stop reading my blog b/c i'm bound to offend you again as i am nothing if not a smart ass.