As you read this, I am in the air flying my way to the northwest corner of Spain.

As I have said before, this trip is not what I thought it would be since I cannot walk the Camino with my friends due to a knee injury. However, the alternative is not too shabby - quiet days alone to wander ancient cities, read, ponder life, watch Camino pilgrims arrive at their destination, weary, tired and full of joy!

Here is my mantra for my time away -- so simple, so profound, so damn difficult to live out:

"If you miss the moment, you miss your life."

(John Daido Loori)

I hope to whisper this to myself over and over.

I want to savor every moment, even the tough ones.

Every image.

Every bite of food.

Every new insight.

Every emotion, thought, experience, feeling.

Every random conversation with strangers.

Every morning waking up to the unknown.

Every sight, every sound, every taste, every smell.

Every detail.

Every moment.

Because, "If you miss the moment, you miss your life."

May this be your mantra, too, no matter where today finds you.

Peace, friends. Until I return ...