do the right thing

 

Guess where I've been all week. Here are a few hints. Imagine:

~charming fishing villages~

 

~sheer mountain cliffs~

~endless fjords~

~reindeer~

~and, yes, awe-inspiring views of the Aurora~

...not to mention kind and smiling people (especially the ones who gladly went out of their way to track down and recover a couple of misplaced carry-ons of ours), and delicious food...all of which we enjoyed despite a few days of dense fog, freezing rain, sleet, snow, and gale force winds! 

"There is no such thing as bad weather, 

only bad clothes."

~Norwegian Folk Saying~

If you guessed Norway, you would be correct. Norway...where we were treated to a sampling of life lived with intention above the Arctic Circle, complete with unimaginable beauty in a sometimes harsh and uninviting environment. Where the indigenous Sami people have protected herds of reindeer for generations out of reverence for their shared space. Where solitude is cherished, and community is celebrated.

This is where we spent almost ten days. We went from exclamations of "Wow! Wow! Oh, wow!" on the first day...directly to (pardon our French) "HOLY F--K!" the very next day! Because, you know, the Northern Lights. The pod of orcas we spotted. The bright blue-green water and how painfully cold it was. H.F. We fed the reindeer. We went snowmobiling in a blizzard. We jumped straight out of our hot tub into a snowbank. We ate reindeer stew. When in Norway...do as the Norwegians do.

And then it was time to leave, no small challenge when our flight home was cancelled. I won't bore you with the details, except to say this. When we arrived at JFK, we still had a two-hour drive home...along roads that were disappointingly, disgustingly littered with garbage, notably so because there was no such thing in Norway. Not a cigarette butt, or a gum wrapper, or a beer can anywhere. I mean, we knew we were returning to political mayhem, to cruelty, deception, and greed. To war. But to so much litter? To the trashing of our homeland?

This is the thing. People in Norway believe it is honorable and sacred "to do the right thing." To lend a helping hand without expecting so much as a "thank you." To care for one another and for their wildlife because they all benefit from it. To keep the land and water clean and beautiful.

Americans? Not so much. 

That said, my new mantra is: 

"DO THE RIGHT THING"

...whether you're tossing out a gum wrapper, or reaching out to someone in need, or going to the polls. Do the right thing!

jan