Simplicity

Life is so complicated sometimes. I guess we make it complicated.

I'm often struck by the simplicity of life elsewhere when I travel. Take Norway, for instance. Everyone seemed to take the time to pick wild flowers. All indoor and outdoor tables at the places we visited were adorned with boquets of wild flowers.

When we sat to eat, there were candles burning. Here, we always seem to be eating and running. When you light candles, the message is 'stay awhile.' It is an invitation to relax and enjoy.

Norway doesn't have many freeways. When we traveled, we often were on what we North Americans would consider a one-lane hightway. But they were intended for two-way traffic. Some roads we shared with the sheep. They didn't blink an eye when we had to manouver around them sleeping on the road. Someone asked if they moved when we honked. I don't think it occurred to us to honk. It was their road, and we were the intruders. When we exclaimed about the narrow roads, we would see a sign telling us that the road narrows ahead!

There are a lot more restaurants now than we saw 18 years ago on our last trip. But it still isn't anything like here. I can't speak for all of Norway, but our experience suggested they still prefer to eat at home most of the time. Eating out was expensive and seemed to be considered a treat.

Fresh food is important in Norway. We didn't see many large farms - the land there is very rocky, so they have to use whatever is available to grow what they need. Many people had a little garden as well as fruit trees. But the wild fruit was also commonly used for desserts and making jam.

I love to see people doing things with their hands. One of Einar's aunts has a loom and has woven all the rugs in her house. Most of them have embroidered their own bunad (customary Norwegian clothing) and that of their daughters. Some of them do hardanger, or knit, or sew. But they all seem to have a craft for the long winter evenings. And their homes reflect that. I think we are losing that custom here in North America, and it would be a great thing to revive. If only we could get away from the TV and computers long enough to complete a project!!

Now if only I would introduce some of this into my own life. I think it's time to turn off the computer!

A Norwegian View

I love moving.

This was a concept Einar's Norwegian family did not understand. They don't move. They settle and stay.

Granted, many of his family are settled on their homestead. Or their mother's homestead. Or their husband's homestead.

And the views... The views from many of the homes were nothing short of spectacular.

Would I want to move from a view like this?

Would I be more settled at the old homestead?

They tried to understand why we move so much. Liv has moved more than we have, and so many of the questions were directed at her. But we really didn't know how to answer.

Why do I like moving? I don't like surface cleaning. When I clean (the way I enjoy cleaning), I clean a small area but clean it thoroughly. Moving gives me a chance to do that to my whole house. It lets me sort and organize.

How much of it has to do with 'unsettledness' - the feeling that I belong elsewhere? I'm not sure. Einar doesn't like moving, and he'd have a greater reason to be unsettled. After all, his first home was not only a different house, but a different country.

My first move was when I was 15. (I still dream about someday purchasing that house.) After that, I have moved frequently. I think our longest stay in one place is our current house which we have had just over 7 years now. I like the house. But not the yard. And certainly not the view!

I think I'll have to settle for less of a view than we saw there... but maybe when we move to our next place, we'll pay a bit more for the view...