As a child I grew up in the village of Dåfjord on Ringvassøy in Troms, and I have always spent a lot of time outdoors with my siblings and other children in the village, but also a great deal of time alone. I therefore learned early on the joy of being out in nature, both using nature as a playground but also for recreation in every season. There was no such thing as bad weather; we were outside no matter the weather or conditions, from morning until evening. We also took part in fishing trips, berry picking, potato harvesting and haymaking together with our parents, neighbours, or our aunt and uncle in the house next door. I also learned to read the signs of nature, to "read" what kind of weather was coming when the clouds gathered from the west or when the cloud cover lit up from the south. I was very fascinated by the phases of the moon, especially the full moon, and I wondered about the idea that you did not slaughter animals when the moon was waning. My father followed the almanac closely and watched where the moon would appear; it could predict the weather long in advance.
As an adult I have looked back on a childhood and youth in the countryside and reflected on how fortunate I have been to have been so active outdoors and to have built a good foundation for being able to have wonderful experiences in nature. Going for walks out in nature has become my way of experiencing nature and of being physically active. In addition, I have found that getting fresh air and physical activity at regular intervals, preferably daily, is good for body, mind and soul alike. Thus being out in nature has also become important for my health.
We human beings are after all a part of nature, but I myself must admit that I have felt somewhat distant from it for large parts of my life, even though I have enjoyed being outdoors. In recent years, being out in nature has taken on a new meaning for me, in addition to being an arena for physical activity and recreation. Nature and its changes through the seasons, all living things of both plant and animal life on land and in water, have become a more important part of my life than before. Not only am I out in nature more, but I find that closeness to nature gives me new insights and learning and helps me to be present in the moment; it is as if I have come more deeply into nature.
To sit on a mountaintop and look out over the landscape, to feel the scent of heather and the wind that cools, to hear the birdlife all around. To walk along the shore and hear the sound of the waves on a windy day, to turn my face into the wind and let my thoughts drift away with it. To sit on a stone by the river on a spring day when the waters roar past, to let the sound fill my whole body and simply be. To walk slowly along a path in the birch forest, to hear little streams and the brambling singing, to see butterflies dance, to feel the soft ground give way and let my feet find their rhythm. To sit down on a stone up on the hillside, eat my packed lunch and drink coffee in the autumn sun and admire the autumn colours, the blue sky and the dusting of snow on the mountaintop, to feel the clear air promise new times. To wander through snow-covered landscapes in the moonlight, when all is still, so very still.
I find peace, strength, courage and joy through experiencing nature with all my senses. It is as if there is a force and a presence in nature that I need to be close to, and when I am, something falls into place. I gain easier access to self-insight, I find solutions to challenges and problems; yes, I can feel joy bubbling up within me for no reason when I am on my wanderings, at my viewpoints or my regular resting places. But I can also feel grief and loss, painful memories and experiences, let the tears flow and weep, allow to the surface what is otherwise kept under a lid, and feel that it is released.
Being inside nature while outdoors is important for my quality of life, my peace of soul and my mood. My experience of nature has become much stronger, deeper and more spiritual, and every season is equally important.
