Monday 11 May 2020

May 4 to 7, 2020, Norway

Monday 4 to Thursday 7 May

Compounding days

The silence grows. After the weekend visitors went home, we had this world to ourselves once more. Silent walks along the scrunching gravel paths or across a strip of mossy ground. Lots of lambs to talk to. Some even pause to listen…
We meet Ingrid, the owner of our hytte. She is Dutch by birth, but has lived in different lands: Belgium, England, Scotland and now Norway. Her home is in Stavanger. She’s a geo-physicist and a member of the Green party (we have lots in common!). Long talks about how to reorganize society, restructure the economy and educate the politicians… At this point I wish I were younger and had a body somewhat more supple… But can’t complain. My own fault for not doing my exercises more faithfully.
Which leads me on to my contemplation on faith and trust.
On one of these days David went for a climb on his own. Before he set off I felt scared (what if something happened to him… no means of communicating…)
But I was busy reading the story of Daniel (not my son, but the one who chatted with lions) and soon became so engrossed in it that all my fears left me. Before I had time to start worrying, David was back (two hours later…).
So what happened to Daniel in that lions’ den? Was he still a vegetarian, and just didn’t appeal to meat-needy lions? It’s a wonderful book. And it’s about trust and faith. Which I definitely need to cultivate, instead of clamouring: What if…? Like now, with this covid-19. The big question: what if I, or David, or anyone I love, becomes infected? No knowing, no telling.
The silence grows. The peace spreads. The clamorous words that dance inside my head are almost quieted.
On 15 April I wrote this (for the record!) :

One of the poem-songs we translated as undergraduates, sixty years ago,
was from the Harley Lyrics (thin green hardbacked book), a collection of Middle English verse.
Lenten is cume with luve to toune
With blosmen ant with briddes rune
That al this blysse bringeth…
Today, in a grey northern spring, those words return to me,
and I wonder if spring will ever again
bring all this bliss to the dwellings of men.
I should be in my house in Amsterdam; instead
most marvellously, I am here in troll country
with my dear family, and fairly safe.
While war is waging in our world.

After finishing Daniel, I read Jonah. Tweak these books just a little, and out comes the 21st century, with the despots, tyrants, schemers and manipulators.

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