Our first day in Porto had everything: beautiful architecture, incredible food, port wine overlooking the Douro—and a stolen backpack containing my passport. What happened next involved a suspected witch, a Portuguese police station, a sweet stranger from Hungary, and one very forgotten AirTag.

One month before our Camino trip, my mom and I returned to northern Minnesota for our longest training hike yet: 12 miles along the Mesabi Trail. What started as a test of our physical readiness became something else entirely—a walk through family history, childhood memories, old mining country, sore feet, Diet Coke, and the landscape that had always felt like home.

A reflection on preparing for the Camino de Santiago through a hike in Canada, exploring patience, repetition, and self-awareness, and how walking becomes a space for presence and quiet reflection.

An exploration of the creative process—from the anxiety of a blank page and making the first mark, to the discipline, rest, and lived experiences that shape meaningful work. It reflects on how ideas form, why creative “problems” matter, and the tension between inspiration and execution. A meditation on staying with the process, trusting uncertainty, and continuing to create by choosing to begin.