Like a Speeding Train Full of Bricks, Really

Do you ever have one of those moments where you hear about something and something it just hits your head like a ton of bricks and you think, "That's for me. I'm supposed to do that."? I had that happen this afternoon. I was talking with a friend who just happened to mention the "Camino de Santiago de Campostela", a set of paths that spider their way across all of Europe. Campostela is a city on the northwestern coast of Spain known as the burial place of St. James. For hundreds of years, people have made the journey from their doorstep to Campostela as a pilgrimage.
Pilgimages, as I understand them, are religious journeys whereby an individual discovers themselves and God or pays some kind of penance by walking. I identify with all but the latter goal. For me, the idea of walking from France and into and across Spain as a mostly solitary quest for self and God is incredibly appealing. There are monasteries and inns all along the way that are very used to pilgrims and show excellent hospitality to them.
The route I am most seriously considering--though, of course, this is all still seriously in the speculation and wishing stage because I haven't spoken to many people at all about it, including my parents and I wouldn't just fly across the Atlantic and walk around Europe without some SERIOUS planning--ahem--the route I am most seriously considering is "el camino primitivo", which is a very traditional path, but not the most common one today. El camino primitivo is about 200 miles through Spain with little in the way of flat terrain as I understand it. I've been reading up on the paths and the benefits of el camino primitivo is that the people along it are supposed to be incredibly friendly and helpful and that the path is not as horribly crowded as the most popular path, "el camino Frances."
If I were to take the pilgrimage, I would do it next summer (not in a month, but in thirteen), which would mean I would be just getting out of high school and will have already been to Europe once and had that experience. I will have also had over a year to plan the trip and make sure that I'm totally prepared; if I seriously start considering and planning this I'm going to have to start walking EVERYWHERE to get my legs ready.
Well, anyway, I thought I'd share my fanciful dream with you tonight. If it doesn't work out next summer, maybe I'll do it while I'm in college or later. I'd absolutely love to do it, because I think a trip like that could be good for me in a crazy amount of ways, but I won't be completely heartbroken if I don't get to do it next year, because I have an entire life ahead of me to do with what I will.

Thing to be grateful for today: Discovery.