Weird how that just came to me. I have heard that people often think that they will catch up on sleep or tasks, but the reality is that some things are not possible to catch up on… they are in the past and likely will remain there (if you’re lucky).

I decided just this moment that I am gonna let bygones be bygones… especially my failed attempts at keeping a consistent blog. I will start anew just as I have often had to do because I did not remain consistent in whatever it was that I needed to be consistent with… like jogging. I will just get back to it time and time again until it sticks.

On Sunday, my hiking partner and I took a pilgrimage we are told many Swiss take in their lifetime. We simply chose the trail because it is part of a longer trail we are hiking in sections, but the story we learned was one I hope to keep in my memory for a long time.

The Trans Swiss Trail (Number 2, Section 17) takes a wanderer from Giswil to Flüeli-Ranft. Along the way one is introduced to Switzerland‘s Patron Saint – Niklaus von Flüe also known as Bruder Klaus. I did not get to go inside the church where former Popes have visited to see the tomb of Bruder Klaus… but I will go back soon to take all of that in. I was only there for the hike this particular weekend.

However, once we reached the summit and the end of the marked trail, we did visit the original wooden home of Bruder Klaus and learned a tiny bit about him. I want to explore more soon.

The one thing that stuck with me about this trek was walking into one of the rooms of the home and knowing that Pope John Paul II had sat in the same room nearly 42 years ago. You see… I am no longer a religious person. That is in my past and I am proud of being strong enough to leave that person I was back then in the past. But as I was growing up, Pope John Paul II was who I considered to be „my pope.“ He came into the role when I was 11 or 12 and remained the Pope until my late 30s… the most formidable years of the person who considered themself religious… that moment mattered to me in 2026, the year I will turn 60 and proudly do not practice any religion.

I did not feel his spirit, nor did I feel that I was in the presence of anything profound, but I did recognize that I have grown so much, but still feel the need to remember who I was and how I came to be who I am. I was in awe of that space in that moment, but I did not feel the need to linger. I simply felt at peace and that remained with me on the journey back home.

Switzerland definitely has a hold on me… I am finding that I need to continue my journey in a place that offers moments of peace. I do not know where I go from here, but I know I am no longer scared to travel alone or with a partner… I just need to keep moving on.