How I Became a Pilgrim

At Plymouth Rock, Massachusetts, 2018

Where do our stories begin? Mine began long ago, before memory. I found out a few years ago that I am a descendent of three Mayflower passengers, all of whom arrived in North America 400 years ago. I saw a statistic once that for me to be born, 4,094 ancestors from 12 generations over 400 years lived to give me life. How many struggles, battles, difficulties? Who lived to adulthood? Who died in childbirth? Their stories are as varied as they are.

So I am naturally a pilgrim! It is literally in my DNA. I have always loved to travel, and I long dreamed of traveling to Europe—Italy, in particular—but the way I ended up in Europe, and the location of my first adventure there, was not at all what I expected. Yet, it was truly wonderful. I embraced the call of travel to new and unknown places. I sacrificed and saved my money for trips. I took pictures.

In 2018, I had the wonderful privilege of walking the Camino de Santiago de Compostela in Spain as a pilgrim. Carrying only what I needed in a backpack, I walked 500 miles in 35 days. While I was walking, it became clear that I was to share my experiences in photos to show just how much beauty there is in ordinary things.

Hence, my personal mission statement was born, to “see the extraordinary in the ordinary.” May these photos inspire you to look at your surroundings with new wonder and to enjoy your pilgrimage.