For a while now I’ve been enthralled with the idea of pilgrimage. I’m drawn to the notion of an overarching purpose that guides and shapes a journey. The problem is, I am completely unreligious, so all of the pre-made pilgrimages don’t hold a lot of appeal. I don’t know my saints from my relics, so a religious pilgrimage would lack meaning for me.
I am intrigued by the 500 mile Camino de Santiago pilgrimage in Spain because it sounds terribly romantic, but Spain is a long, expensive plane ride away, and also I think I might be developing a bunion. That kind of a walk could end up being very unpleasant if my big toe joint continues on its current trajectory.
So for a year or so I’ve been mulling different approaches to pilgrimage, trying to find one that both holds meaning for me and also fits with my life. I’ve got two young kids and a full-time job, so it’s not exactly viable for me to, say, hike every active volcano in the southern hemisphere. I love knitting, so I considered visiting sheep farms (which has the bonus of justifying a sweet trip to New Zealand), but what would I do once on the farm? Pet all the sheep? Snip a bit of fleece? The farmers might not find my pilgrimage charming, and at that point it's just trespassing.
And then it came to me, and I couldn’t believe I hadn’t thought of it right away - libraries. This part of the world is littered with them (aren’t we lucky?), they’re great places for little people to visit, and I’ll be among the books which is something that always calms and grounds me. So now, when we travel, I make a point of finding out where the local library is, and insisting on a stop there so I can look around. I try to get a souvenir of the place (a pin, a bag, or a shirt) so I can remember each one. And if this does turn out to be a bunion on my foot, I’ll still be able to complete my pilgrimage, just with a bit more of a hobble in my step.
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| Relic from one of the greats |
Now, I don’t travel all that much (remember the full-time job and small kids?), so don’t expect there to be frequent jet-setting to the oldest libraries in Europe, or the ancient Babylonian keepers of tomes. I do, however, have the advantage of living walking distance from an excellent local branch, as well as working at a university with a library and is also walking distance from another local branch. I am rich in the opportunity to borrow books. So mostly I’ll write about my trips and experiences there. But I’ll also probably lose focus (the working title of my, as of yet unwritten, autobiography is “I Got Distracted”), and write about other things I find interesting or amusing. And I’ll keep you posted about my bunion. I’ve named it Paul. Our relationship is deepening.
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| Impending bunion. |
