An Idea Becomes a Reality
I became more agitated, more curious about what was happening all around me. Out of this period of incubation, confusion, and chaos, the kernel of an idea was born: instead of traveling to another country to experience their culture, history, and social condition, I could walk the full peninsula of Cape Cod—all 15 towns—and learn about the local peoples and their stories, especially those largely unknown to me. Due to COVID, I couldn’t make my usual international summer travel experience, but I could explore other cultures, histories, and peoples right in my own backyard. So I decided to undertake a walking pilgrimage through every town on Cape Cod to better understand issues of racial and social justice locally.
Pilgrimage and the Original Camino Way
As a seeker of knowledge and understanding in areas as diverse as history, spirituality, Eastern philosophy, wellness, nature, sports, politics, and social justice issues, I consider myself a perpetual learner. I also know that emotional, physical, and spiritual “intelligences” are real and inform my approach to understanding the world around me—e.g. What do I know? How do I know this? Where did this understanding come from? What influenced me? What do I not know? Where can I seek a wider understanding of a topic, an opinion, or a belief different than the one I hold? How can I share this experience and knowledge I’ve gained with others?
All of these questions spun in my head after the killing of George Floyd on May 25, 2020, and I began to conceptualize the series of walks that I eventually titled the Cape Cod Camino Way.