Right now we're in Norway. You know that feeling, when you meet someone new, and within a matter of minutes you just know you're going to get along well with this person? They instantaneously make you feel comfortable and at home. In a place where just looking at the street signs reminds us "you aren't at home," I'd say that's quite a feat in itself. Our host here in Norway is like that, immediately welcoming and his demeanour puts you at ease in his home and his presence.
The majority of our hosting experiences have been exactly this. We are meeting newfound family and dear friends all over the place, in so many different countries. I imagine a reunion trip is in order down the road, simply to come back through and visit all our new cherished friends across Europe.
It's such a privilege to be welcomed into someone's home. They make the country immediately seem less foreign, now with an advocate on your side, and if you're lucky, they often feed you, provide a roof over your head, give you a comfy place to sleep, let you borrow their computer for a moment to 1) check email, 2) make couchsurfing requests, 3) upload pictures, 4) Skype, 5) write a blog post, 6) update your Facebook status, 7) book a ferry/train/flight reservation, etc; and provide you with a personal perspective of the city in which they live, and what life within said city/country looks like.
As I said, currently we're in Norway, and when I last left off, we were in Finland. Time with Beth and Caleb was incredible, a much needed rest from the constant motion of the first month of our travels. We're on Day 38 now, can you believe it? So we left Finland on Monday evening, said goodbye to some of my dearest friends, and rode an overnight ferry from Helsinki to Stockholm.
Side note here: Some of my favourite experiences on this trip, second to the people, are the ferry rides. But it's not simply the ferry, it's the access to the ocean that I'm absolutely weak for. I could sit by the ocean for hours, and I'm not sure exactly what it is about the ocean that I adore so much, except I just like how small I feel next to it. The waters we've sailed have been relatively peaceful, hardly any white-capping. (I have my brother Alex to thank for informing me of this term.) But I could just stand up on deck and look at the waters all day long, listening to the sounds they make, and marvelling at the fact that I can't see land in any direction I look. It's terribly important for the soul, I think, to stop and take notice of how tiny we are compared to things like the oceans and the mountains.
(And this is where I get very Zen...)
I learned in high school that a foot of water, that's a mere 12 inches, can carry a Suburban away from its resting location. (That seems ludicrous to me.) A person can drown in only a few, if not a couple inches of water. In its icy form, water can destroy homes, wreck cars, sink ships, and support tons of weight if thick enough. (Here in Norway, we learned that it's quite common to have barbeque's out on the frozen lakes with your family. A strange concept, to say the least, to this Texan, who is accustomed to triple digit heat and who only sees it snow once every 365 days, roughly.)
Needless to say, water's powerful. And yet, meek. (Meek: adj - showing patience and humility; gentle). It's one of the two greatest metaphors for true and authentic strength, in my opinion, the other being the mountains. When upon the ferry, we're in a massive boat, that being a classic caricature for strength and power. But if the water around us wanted to, it could tear us to pieces. We wouldn't stand a chance, whether by iceberg or torrential waves. If the water wanted to, it could smash us to bits and swallow us up without giving us a chance to protest. Yet, despite all this power it could potentially hold over us, it allows us to float on by gracefully. We come bearing a white flag, hopefully respecting the power the water could hold over us, and as we pass through it seems to find no reason to display just how much power it really has, and just how feeble we really are compared to it. The ocean gently submits to our mass, and simply reconvenes behind us, basically untouched.
The greatest type of strength is like that, isn't it? One learns in martial arts that the greatest fighter finds a way to avoid the physical battle entirely, because the real strength lies in mastering oneself, not in obliterating or defeating another. (Sun Tzu says that the battle is won before the two sides even take their positions on the playing field.) The need to tear someone down to make oneself advance a level is actually a sign of weakness, and the true strength lies in simply knowing one's strength, and having no need to prove it. Like the water, the mountains hold a similar powerful meekness. They simply stand, confident in their power, but rarely needing to make sound or great display to make sure you're taking notice of their power.
There's a lot to be learned from the water and the mountains when it comes to strength and power. Often, those wishing to be seen as powerful and as giants among men like to make a lot of noise. We fall victim to this vice called Pride, whispering that we should be noticed, that people should respect us, that our way is the best way and we should loudly make sure everyone respects our authority. But the true strength of character lies in not having to prove oneself at all, I think. Take Jesus for example, a personal favourite for examples of strength of character. This guy knows that He's God, and yet seems to walk about telling people to keep quiet about Him. Why? I suppose when you know you're the Almighty, you really don't have to prove yourself to anyone. That's the thing about strength isn't it: when you really are strong, and know who you are, you have no need to prove it to anyone. But it is when we doubt that we seek the approval and notice of others.
I'm not sure how much we're changing and growing. I don't know if we're learning who we are, or simply getting the opportunity to listen to other people's lives and perspectives, and it will be later in the reflection and retrospection that we'll notice a great change in who we are and have become. But right now, these days, I feel it's very important to just sit, to listen, to let people be who they are, and to let the situation and day teach me what it has to say. Often it is our expectations of who we think someone should be that causes us to add friction to a situation or interaction anyway. We may not agree with something, it may not be how we would do things, but to have visited 11 countries now, been on the road for 38 days, I'm learning that when we shut up and listen, it doesn't have to mean we agree with it, and it doesn't mean we're going to be changed, corrupted, or become confused by letting the ship of another person's being float gracefully on by. What it means is that we can be exactly who we are and still let them exist as they are, and if we have strength like the ocean, we allow room for that other person to exist, and it doesn't have to change our composition in the slightest.
So to sum up: Stockholm was beautiful - that city just consists of islands, and each one has a personality of its own. We really enjoyed just walking around and taking in the sights. Tonight we're in Norway, hoping to see some fjords tomorrow. Travel is still great, and I think most of what we're learning about is simply how to be who we are, among all these different backdrops, cultures, experiences, etc.
When you get a moment, take a minute to consider the power and strength of water, or the mountains. There's no need to prove ourselves to anyone. So, being secure in who we know we are, let us learn to listen to someone else. Especially those we disagree with on perspective, opinion, lifestyle, etc. Let them have their say without needing to retort, clarify, correct them, or even respond with our thoughts. Because simply by listening we don't lose ourselves in the slightest, but perhaps we can learn what it means to love another.
“Experience, travel – these are as education in themselves” – Euripides
"Education is the ability to listen to anything without losing your patience, (identity), or self-confidence." -Robert Frost
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