Weather, Unweather
Keep calm and do as the grandmothers
Dear Viking friends,
As I write to you this week, I find myself back in the high mountains of Norway. It’s February and unusually cold even for here. Despite not having a proper jacket with me, I am staying in a friend’s apartment with all the comforts of modern life, so the weather hardly affects me. My sister, however, is at the old family cabin and arrived to frozen pipes last night—which translates to no water, no shower, and worst of all, no plumbing working at all.
This evening over dinner, she reminded me of a time this happened when we were kids (I didn’t remember this story)—when she was staying in that same cabin with my great aunt, a very elegant and worldly woman. When the pipes froze back then and alone with my young sisters to care for, she simply put on her coat, proceeded outside to fill huge pots with snow to melt on the stove (and probably poured herself a glass of port), and got on with it. No complaining or discussing, just got down to business.
Maybe this isn’t that big of a deal—definitely a first world problem—but the point is that instead of focusing on the problem, it’s that matter-of-fact, practical, can-do attitude I admire. It’s one of the things I love the most about the “old guard” of hardy Norsemen and women I remember from my childhood. Not that they don’t exist elsewhere or still, but younger generations tend to look to their phones for solutions, and phones aren’t that useful for melting snow, lighting campfires, or growing food.
As some of you know, I grew up on both sides of the Atlantic, constantly moving between America and my hometown in Western Norway. Every summer was spent there, and I was lucky enough to have both my maternal and paternal grandmothers in my life, as well as my great aunt.
My maternal grandmother came to visit me in my thoughts today, with one of her many practical sayings. She grew up on a big farm in Eastern Norway and was definitely of hardy Viking stock—she could probably put most “self-sufficient” and “off-the-grid” gurus to shame. She would always tell me “det er ikke hvordan du har det, men hvordan du tar det“—which translates roughly to “it’s not what happens to you in life, but how you deal with it.”
This and many other insanely practical, down-to-earth concepts used to annoy me, even though I would always politely and respectfully listen. She probably knew on some level I really needed to hear it. Actually, I did. Isn’t it ironic how when you’re young you think “DUH, why is she telling me this again,” and then later in life the sentence comes back and hits you and you’re like “Oh, NOW I get it.”
Speaking of practical wisdom, there’s a famous Norwegian saying: “there is no such thing as bad weather, only bad clothing.” It always makes me laugh when someone says they can’t go out because the weather isn’t good enough. If they could only see what I call “oil platform weather” in Norway—sideways wind and rain that could turn any umbrella inside out and whips you in the face with giant drops of ice cold water. Personally, I choose to believe it’s good for morale and my skin! (And it would be bad for my self-proclaimed Viking image to complain about weather—that’s just not in my DNA).
One very practical thing my grandmother taught me (or at least tried to) was to wear sensible footwear for the outdoors, like low-heeled shoes and rain gear, when the weather was rough as it often was. Interestingly, the simple Norwegian word “uvær“ (unweather) is the term for what in English is classified as “bad weather”. Instead of labeling challenging weather as “bad,” it’s simply described as “unweather”, a matter-of-fact acknowledgment of what is, or isn’t, without judgment. Just dress accordingly.
As I pictured her there, sitting quietly and knitting methodically, these threads of wisdom started to interlace in my mind like the two strings of yarn in her hands. Just as those simple strings would gradually become something both beautiful and practical for uvær, these separate pieces of wisdom revealed something fundamental about the Nordic mindset and my roots.
Like all of nature, weather exists on a spectrum of extremes, and nothing exists in a vacuum or without its opposite. The same is true for life’s circumstances. They simply are what they are—neither good nor bad until we label them as such. Some situations can be extremely challenging, don’t get me wrong, but it’s in the most difficult times that we tend to learn and grow the most. What matters, as my grandmother knew, is how we choose to respond.
This practical farm wisdom, I now appreciate, echoes what spiritual teachers and meditation masters from all corners of the world have been saying for millennia. First, not to judge if something is good or bad—it just IS. And second, to be mindful of how we choose to act, and react. My grandmother was passing along this profound truth in her own humble and practical way, just as Norwegian culture embeds it in the matter-of-fact approach weather, unweather, frozen pipes, or any other challenging circumstances.
So the next time you wake up and look out the window (or at the TV for that matter), and you don’t like what you see, remember—you have a choice. You can either judge the conditions or you can simply notice, make a choice, and get on with it. Somewhere beyond the rain, snow and clouds, the sun is still shining.
Your friend in weather and unweather,
Ragnhild
THIS SUMMER: KEEP CALM AND JOIN THE NEW VIKING MIDSUMMER NORWAY RETREAT
If you want to experience the magic and authenticity of Norway (no, not in winter!), join me this June for an intimate journey through the land of my ancestors. Think: midnight sun over the fjords, charming historic accommodations, cold water therapy followed by the sauna, daily yoga nidra and meditation, vibrant Norwegian cuisine celebrating local traditions, and a world-class spa experience (including the plumbing!).
This retreat is designed for those who appreciate unique, authentic experiences and understand that true luxury lies not in excess, but in the quality of the moment and the company you keep. Having said that, we will stay at unique and exclusive boutique hotels, with all the comforts and amenities for a truly relaxing and regenerating stay. Space is intentionally limited to preserve the personalized and unique nature of our experience.
If this calls to you, contact The New Viking for more information and to schedule a call!
Love the stories of your great Aunt!