As I do the final checks on my pack—tucking in socks, tightening straps, weighing each choice—I keep hearing the same question in my heart:
“Do I really need this?”
Not just the second pair of pants or that just-in-case book.
But everything I’m carrying into this journey.
The unspoken burdens. The invisible weight.
We all carry more than what’s on our backs.
![4th tip for walking the Camino]** Lighten Your Backpack My backpack is getting lighter and lighter. Not just physically—but emotionally too. On the Camino, I'm learning to let go of everything I](http://ddavidson.ca/wp-content/uploads/2025/07/42abfce9d24b9734e80313f9b40ffda7.jpg)
There’s so much we bring with us on pilgrimage:
- Habits we’re used to.
- Stories we tell ourselves.
- Expectations—about the journey, about ourselves.
Some of it is helpful.
Some of it is heavy.
And some of it… we’ve been carrying for far too long.
Fear.
Regret.
The pressure to prove something.
Old griefs or roles we’ve outgrown.
These aren’t things we pack consciously. But they travel with us, don’t they?
And then the Camino comes—not asking for perfection, but for presence.
It doesn’t care what you’ve done or left undone.
It only asks you to be here. Fully. Honestly.
So here’s the invitation I’m carrying today:
What are you holding onto that you no longer need?
And what might happen if you set it down?
Even for a little while?
Letting go isn’t failure.
It’s faith.
And sometimes—letting go is what makes room for grace.
Pilgrim’s Prayer: For Letting Go
Gracious God,
You see what I carry—
the burdens I name, and the ones I don’t.
Help me release what no longer serves.
Fear, regret, pressure, pride—
I place them in your hands.
Make space in me
for lightness,
for peace,
for presence.
And as I walk,
may I discover again
that your grace meets me
not in what I bring,
but in what I’m willing to leave behind.
Amen.