Keep Walking, Your Heart Will Catch Up: A Camino de Santiago Journey by Cathay Reta

Keep Walking, Your Heart Will Catch Up: A Camino de Santiago Journey by Cathay Reta
Publisher: Self-Published
Genre: Contemporary, Non-Fiction, Memoir
Rating: 4 stars
Reviewed by Xeranthemum

Thirty-seven days. Four hundred eighty-three miles. A chance to discover what life could hold next.

Newly widowed and in her mid-sixties, Cathay Reta couldn’t picture her future. Looking for direction, she left her familiar surroundings and traveled alone to Spain to walk the Camino de Santiago, an ancient pilgrimage trail across the country’s northern landscape.

Preparing for the journey meant trading a sedentary life for long walks and hikes. But no amount of training could prepare her for the questions she would carry—or what it would take to face them.

Walk with Cathay through Spanish villages, past centuries-old churches, and into the company of strangers who become companions. Share the laughter, tears, exhaustion, and unexpected joy of a journey that tests her resolve each day. Some mornings, she wonders why she’s doing this at all. Surely she could have figured out her future from the comfort of a nice hotel.

Yet she keeps walking.

As the miles unfold, so do the anger, loneliness, and grief she brought with her. Through conversations with fellow pilgrims, reflections on faith, and the daily effort of putting one foot in front of the other, Cathay begins to imagine a life she wants to live.

Candid, warm, and rich with the history and beauty of the Camino, Keep Walking, Your Heart Will Catch Up is a memoir of loss, adventure, and the courage to begin again at an age when others might expect you to settle in.

At a crossroads yourself? Come walk beside her. You may find that her journey opens a path for your own.

I’ve often heard of the Camino de Santiago but that’s about it. I looked forward to reading what the author had to say because I’d read her other book, Dance in the Meadow, and I quite enjoyed it. I am happy to say that I enjoyed Keep Walking, Your Heart Will Catch Up just as much but for different reasons.

This novel has a lot more history, both of local flavor and true historical backgrounds, than I expected. The author kept the details on the light side in order to not overwhelm the reader. This is her story, about her journey of self-awareness, facing and coming to terms with her vulnerabilities and the loss of her husband. She presented stories of the amazing trust shown among pilgrims who are also on the Camino journey. It was very gratifying to see, and I found it amazing as well. Why? I didn’t expect that level of positiveness from humanity. Ms. Reta had one uncomfortable encounter, but the worst was the 6-legged variety. That creeped me out as well, and yet, I read that it’s not an unexpected experience for many pilgrims. The hosts of the albergues (hostels) were pragmatic about it, were extremely helpful and knew exactly what to do. There’s no stigma about it like there would be in the U.S., that’s for sure!

A couple of her observations differ from my own viewpoints when it comes to absolution and forgiveness, but that didn’t take away from the value and truth of her experience. Ms. Reta shares very open, honest and well-spoken moments of introspection and reflection along with a wonderful recounting of her interactions with various pilgrims like Amy, George, Mark and others.

I realize it meant something to the author when she’d share references and quotes from a book she was re-reading during the journey that practically mirrored her own real-life experiences, but I wasn’t fond of their inclusion. I’m sure others will find it amazing that the author discovered a book that inspired her just when she needed it most at critical moments along the trail. I found it distracting.

Since it’s a memoir, it made sense to include the numerous names of all the places/locations that she traveled through but I found myself further distracted by trying to pronounce all of them. I gave up after a while and just concentrated on her storytelling: what she learned, saw, ate and listened to; who she met, their stories they shared and what she learned about herself through them.

This book provides a variety of opportunities for a reader to enjoy the journey along with the author. I also saw myself in her descriptions of herself. Honestly, I don’t know if I’d ever have the courage to face things as she did. It’s a lot about letting go, being true to one’s feelings and having the courage to admit it loudly to the world, paraphrasing, “I am amazing’. I don’t want to diffuse that moment in the book where she figures that out. It’s powerful stuff.

There are humorous moments too – my favorite is the expected wake-up call and what actually happened. That was cute.

I also learned about a product I’d never heard of and could have used for one of my kids- Compeed. It’s a brand of hydrocolloid blister plasters and it’s great for friction blisters. I’m going to see if I can get some. I like learning about new products that can make life easier!

There are tons more details I could get into but I’d overwhelm you, the reader. I don’t want to do that. I am hoping my enthusiasm, my enjoyment and my recommendation to read this memoir about the Camino de Santiago will come through and inspire your curiosity too. The author stays close to ordinary life: plainspoken, entertaining, and the kind of writer readers feel they know. She writes in a grounded, down-to-earth style that is engaging, entertaining, and easy to relate to.

Anyone who has gone on, or thinking of going on the Camino journey, or just curious, might very well enjoy reading Keep Walking, Your Heart Will Catch Up: A Camino de Santiago Journey. Ms. Reta’s story is worth the visit.