Freedom

I'm writing this at the breakfast table. You are seated across from me saying "OK, just give it a try".  So I put on the plate most of those things that I had been avoiding... the herring which occupied time with chopped onions, the smoked salmon, the spreads that look like peanut butter (but are not) were put on a cracker, with names like Hapa and Nugatti Max. No matter what, I wasn't trying the caviar which comes in a tube the size of toothpaste, or that liver pate. What you didn't realize is that for all of your coaxing, there was an equal, and sometimes louder voice, from my Mother sitting at the same table saying OH MY, I wouldn't eat that. She has come on this trip with us too; and I love her even more for that!

I ate the fishes and tasted the nutty but not-too-sweet spreads, and am satisfied to cross THAT off my list. Some things are edible when you are starving. But most of it comes from that "comfort zone" created by our family and local culture. Can an old dog learn new tricks? Sure, but only if very necessary. You get the picture.

So here we are in Tromso. It's the largest city in Northern Norway, with about 70,000 people. Like most of the other stops, it is surrounded by fjord coastline and has a lot of things to see. There is a University here too, which was evident in the extreme laughter I heard in the streets last night (Sat.); often balanced by the squawking of sea birds. This four night segment is the most hazy for me to predict. We'll have to see what develops

An extensive walk always seems the best way to start...

FreedomI'll share one more observation today, which struck me last night as I was eating my fish soup and doing Sudoku in the local eatery. Have you ever been home alone and decided you wanted to run out to the store for something? So you grab your keys and leave the phone behind. Or maybe you just decide to go for an impromptu walk. While you are away from "home", what if no one that you encounter knows you... and no one in your life knows where you are? There's a deeper sense of freedom in that realization, and for some it can be scary, especially if you consider it without your car, your phone, or are not quite sure where you are.

As I sat eating my dinner I realized, once again, that I was in the farther reaches of another land, and I don't know anyone, they don't know me, and absolutely no one knows I'm here except for all of you. I'm not at all afraid here because there are so many things that give me a true sense of security. Apart from trusting myself, essentially it doesn't matter where you go there are people; whether it be in your local store, children in the park, or that lady which is tending the breakfast area whom just looked at us and smiled broadly. We are never really alone. Thank you for holding the string of my balloon. The sky is a very exciting place.