"There is something at work in my soul which I do not understand...there is a love for the marvellous, a belief in the marvellous, intertwined in all my projects, which hurries me out of the common pathways of men, even to the wild sea and unvisited regions I am about to explore."
Each of us, I think, have parts of the world that speak to a place in our souls we didn’t know existed, that call us to them with a pull stronger than gravity. The places are different for everyone, and some dream of the whole world that way, whiles others desire only once small spot. For me personally, there’s Alaska, Big Bend, Antarctica, the United Kingdom, Europe, and Norway.
I really don't quite understand my fascination with Norway, nor do I know just how it began. I remember taking half a year of Norwegian when I was in 7th grade and loving it, but it didn't really go anywhere afterwards and apart from a few lingering words in the language I kind of forgot about it. I think that year a small seed must have been planted, one that quietly kept growing, stubbornly refusing to die, and one morning I woke up to find it had fully blossomed, filling me with the knowledge that one day I wanted to live there. Now don’t get too excited, this isn’t an announcement that I’m moving across the ocean. But I am going for a visit.
Many years ago, a wonderful friend recommended me for a housesitting job to clients at our local vet clinic. It was a completely new experience for me, but learned quickly it was something I truly enjoyed. As the years passed I was lucky enough to have many more opportunities, and was sad to say goodbye to my favorite clients when I left Alaska. Well, one of those clients left Alaska as well, only they moved to Norway and, thanks again to the suggestion of that same wonderful friend as before, they have asked me to come housesit for a month. Their offer included a free plane ticket, a free place to stay (obviously since I’m housesitting), their car to drive, and a kitchen stocked with food. Most people only dream for something like this to happen, very very few actually get it handed to them, there was just no way I could turn it down. I knew saying yes would mean giving up my job, but honestly it wasn’t that difficult of a decision. I handed in my official letter of resignation on Tuesday without an ounce of doubt, a surety and confidence that's only grown each day since.
Don't get me wrong, I am very nervous about being unemployed. I’ll still have rent to pay, student loans, and all the other miscellaneous bills that come with being an adult. But if I go through life making choices based solely on fear of how I’ll pay bills then I know I will wake up 20-30 years from now to a life that hasn’t truly been lived. And isn't that kind of what life's about - to seek out the tumbling dance of your dreams and laugh at fear if it tries to stop you? I hope that when I get back in August I will be able to find something that will at least pay the bills while I figure out what my next steps are (and for my Maine friends if you know of anything please let me know!). I would like to be able to stay in Maine until at least October, fall season in Maine truly is spectacular, but from there who knows. Maybe I’ll look for another more permanent job in Maine, maybe I’ll move to Utah, maybe somewhere else in the US is waiting for me to discover it's promise of adventure, or maybe I’ll luck into some kind of job in Norway and move there (I would do that in a heartbeat!). What I do know, is that I have a lot of soul searching to do. I'm ready for that though. It's been too long since I've left everything completely up to chance, so accustomed I've grown to my normal habits and routine, pulling it on each day like a comfortable old sweater. It's time for me to take that off for good, to say hello to the unknown.
One of my favorite quotes comes from the beloved hobbit Bilbo Baggins. At the beginning of Fellowship of the Rings he writes “It is no bad thing to celebrate a simple life”. The truth of this is absolute. To live a life full of simplicity is one of the richest gifts a person can bestow upon themselves and one of the surest ways to experience deep joy and love for all that surrounds them. But even Bilbo stared down a dragon. He risked leaving behind all the comforts of home forever to discover his true self, and as a result learned what mattered most and found peace with who he was. I think that is something we all owe it to ourselves to do. So I’m off, to find my dragon.
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