Column by Judith Witte: With heart and soul

This past summer, I walked the Camino del Norte – more than 1,000 km from Hendaye in France to Santiago de Compostela in Spain. And beyond; to Muxia and Finisterre, or ‘the end of the world’. I walked mostly alone, yet I never felt lonely. That feeling was especially strong on the oldest parts of the route—those stone paths worn smooth by the footsteps of all who had gone before me. Yesterday, last month, centuries ago.

Although I set out with a few specific life questions in mind, my thoughts often drifted off to... well, nowhere in particular. They simply blended with that strange haze of thoughts and souls left behind by countless other pilgrims before me. I don’t want to make it sound more philosophical or lofty than it was. They, too, must’ve had those same basic thoughts: “I’m warm, I should probably get something to drink, maybe eat something, this place is beautiful.”

Above me, birds chirped and seagulls cried. Beneath me, the unchanging rhythm of waves swelling, sighing, and crashing against the rocky coastline played out. Sometimes I left the marked Camino trail to rest on a quiet beach. Or I ended up in a village café. Now and then, I continued the path with another pilgrim and we shared our stories. Sometimes that led to surprising insights, or sparked odd, creative ideas.

“That's all it takes. This is everything I need to feel happy,” I often thought.

I felt like a peregrino—in every sense of the word, just as it was originally meant in Latin. A traveller, a wanderer. Someone who moves per ager—through and beyond the fields—and observes.

Now I’m back home, and I feel even more connected to the many things that bring me joy: my family, my friends, my work, and my love for writing. Looking back, a walk like this turns out to be a powerful metaphor for everyday life. And, for that matter, for the long road of the protein transition. So take that first step, even without all the answers. Try leaving the familiar route now and then, and look beyond what’s right in front of you. Be open to change. Let yourself be surprised—and truly take in what and who you meet along the way.

The end of the world? Luckily, we’re not there yet. Find each other. Work together. You’re never alone.

Judith Witte
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