On my pilgrimage, I’ll need to hike anywhere from 7-12 miles a day, with an elevation gain of about 2500 feet. Yikes.

Back when I had to had to do homework, there was two kinds of homework. There was homework with an endpoint: math problems,  chemistry worksheets. And then there was the endless kind: essay questions, book reports.

I love work with a clear endpoint. Certainly, it’s always possible to keep double-checking one’s answers for some trigonometry questions. But it’s pretty clear when the work is done and the goofing off can begin.

I’m not so great at motivating myself for tasks with no end. A cover letter can always be a little better, more succinct. And as for preparing for a pilgrimage … there’s always more stairs that can be climbed, more walks to take, more squats to squat.

I’ve wandered around the neighborhood in the rain wearing a poncho. I’ve walked up to eleven miles. I found the largest hill in the area and spent an hour going up and down, up and down. I’ve trudged on the stair mill at the gym and practiced hill climbing on the treadmill. I’ve squatted the dreaded squat.

But will it be enough?