Day 625 - Why blog?

As it's twenty one days since I had something to say on my little blog, I asked myself today - why do I actually blog?

For the last couple of days I've been trying to decide what the topic of this (inevitable) post would be. For the life of me, I couldn't make a decision. So I decided to start at the beginning.

I always start a post with a picture. If possible, I like to use something that I took myself. Why? Because these are my ramblings and it seems right to colour it with my own stuff. (Let's be honest here, sometimes I quite like what I took and if I don't publish it, nobody else will...)

So that left me with the first choice that I had to make. Which pic to choose today? As I scrolled down the thousands if Picasa masterpieces I have saved, this one jumped (ok, not quite at 120km per hour, but you get it...) at me.

This is exactly how I feel at the moment. Like a snail. No real energy and all I can think of is what that backpack I'm going to carry on my back for 30-odd days is going to be filled with. And how much it's going to weigh. If I'm to believe what all the camino fundis have to say, it should weigh no more than 10% of my body weight.

Seeing that this has become somewhat of a tell-all place, I'll let you know that that means my backpack should weigh no more that 6,1kg. I feel that for the first time after my pregnancies many moons ago, I have a valid reason to eat as much chocolate as I want before June. The heavier I am, the more I can pack in my backpack - not so?

The little snail is also looking down at the ground - not too sure which way to go, it seems. Well, I've been looking down at my two feet - the two most precious parts of my body as far as the camino goes, as they have to carry me for almost 800km...It seems rather obvious then that whatever I wish to tie them up in every morning has to be really well chosen - the shoes have to be perfect!

I can't afford to have blisters, my feet have to be able to breathe, they have to remain dry and most of all, they have to be supported properly. That's all easy to say but have you looked at the choices out there?? And even more daunting - have you ever had to listen to the advise of dozens of people - all totally convinced that they have the correct answers??

I have walked the streets, visited the shoe shops, tried on hundreds of makes and sizes - with my 1000 mile socks - and still I can't decide what to buy. And I'm running out of time. Those babies need to be walked in by the time these two feet hit the tarmac in France.

Let's focus on the question again. Why do I blog?

After writing all of the above I think I actually have an answer. When I write about the issues that I need to address, it starts making sense to me and I seem to become focused. It's when I stop writing and start stressing about it I become like the snail. The only difference between him and me is that he can curl up in his backpack and go to sleep - me, if I don't get going, the only place I'm going to curl up in, is the el Spanish feet first-aid clinics...

I went to look up the Internet definitions for 'blogging' and really loved this one:

'Something to do when you're unemployed.'

I guess if the shoe fits - I probably should wear it!