So 7 is the number of perfection or completion right? Oddny and I have been married for 21 years so that’s like 3X perfect. Cosmic.
By the fire at Kristivikvatn armed with coffee, Snickers, and water proof clothes. Romantic, no?
To mark our day we hiked. Staring from Åsholmen camping at the last trail by the sea we climbed steeply towards Fjell Hov. We talked our way up the mountain, over the bogs in the ravines, past fern laden moss heads with red currents and late season blue berries growing in the leafy undergrowth.
At Fjell Hov we hung a left towards Stor Heia, missed the trail leading up and right, and ended up at Kristivikvatn where we started a fire on a rock by the lake. With smoke rolling up through the rain we ate avacado and brie sandwiches while the coffee boiled. We laughed at the comic antics of our low IQ dog, Bob Marley. After our cup of mud and a snickers bar we packed up and headed back out of the valley towards home.
Doesn’t sound like much does it?
We could have done something bigger I guess. But you know, this is what we have been doing for 21 years and I love it. I like the sound of her voice while we walk, the sight of her hair in the green forrest, and the smile she gets when we are alone in nature. Our relationship high points have been in the woods, and in the woods we will stay.
A while ago I thought about one word that described what it took to have a strong and growing marriage. We both thought committed was the perfect word. But Kjartan B. helped us find a better one: devotion.
Today was rainy with spots of brilliant blue floating through the hours. It was wet but we had the right clothes on. It was cool and peaceful, and we worked up a sweat tackling the mountains. The ravines where water collected was every shade of green and every hue of forest brown. The tops where the sun met the moss was like a portal of life with dramatic views back down to the sea or into a march, or the expansive high points of Norwegian terrain.
I thank God for giving me the girl of my dreams and a life together as rich as the day is colorful on an autumn day in the far North. I thank God for giving me a day rich in metaphor and story where my imagination could run wild and reflect on how good I have it.
Man, I am the luckiest person alive.
The luckiest guy alive with the girl of his dreams.
