A few years back I could barely walk down the hall of my school. An amazing surgeon, diligent physical therapy, and a bit of titanium, and I am walking just like the girl who walked to school almost every day of her life.

I have met the best people by just walking. My walking group is sometimes as large at 60 women. I cherish my time with them and time spent outside in the north woods. We make a million small connections as we walk and talk. Together we have traveled some incredible wooded paths, old railroad beds, ski trails and rolling country roads.

When I’m walking on my own with my headphones on, it is hard for me to just walk; I have a few random dance steps I throw in. You try just walking while listening to Motown. Without music a solo walk can be contemplative and often the best place for thinking through life’s challenges. It is magic.

Many pilgrims have walked the entire length of the Camino de Santiago, which begins in France and ends at the Cathedral of Santiago de Compostela in Spain. This walk could take upwards of 35 days and many people follow this as a spiritual path or as a retreat for spiritual growth. If you haven’t watched the move “The Way” I highly recommend it.

Can we unlock life’s mysteries by walking? Can we discover who we are? Where we are going? And how to live our life? Spanish poet Antonio Machado writes that it is you that must walk the road, and it is the journey that matters.

“Wanderer, your footsteps are the road, and nothing more; wanderer, there is no road, the road is made by walking. By walking one makes the road, and upon glancing behind one sees the path that never will be trod again. Wanderer, there is no road — Only wakes upon the sea.