It has been a lifelong aspiration of mine to hike the Camino de Santiago in Spain, France, and Portugal. This 500 mile stretch is a several centuries old pilgrimage along the way attributed to St. James the elder’s introduction of Christianity to Europe. Martin Sheen’s movie the WAY pays tribute to this trek in a compelling fictional story of an American widow who loses a wife and a son and makes the pilgrimage.
Hiking has long been part of my personal and family mythology of growth and maturity. My kids were raised on a Sunday mantra of worship, hiking, and ice cream at Young’s Jersey Dairy. That being the order of activities not their preferences!!
At age 35 I had a major opportunity to join two elder seasoned consultants for a major assignment with Texaco to revamp the leadership culture of their western division, everything west of the Mississippi. We ended up hiring the most famous outfitters in the US. These folks did trips for US Presidents. We spent 7 days hiking 60miles at 10k feet along the John Muir trail in the Northern California wilderness. Our training tools were 3 questions per day, our chosen hiking partners for them, 2 pencils and a dime store notebook. We got out of Nature’s Way and the beauty and solitude of the wilderness did its work. The project was a slam dunk and we had our moments of fame.
There are many ways to dissect this journey of life. Many are traveling and observing but fewer are seekers of the Way. For me the Way is learning how to love perfectly despite the imperfections in ourselves, other, and the world. Many faiths follow a similar Way. For me Jesus offered the best version. Whatever the path Seeking the Way is the best hope for wholeness and holiness and healing a broken world.