Britt-Arnhild's House in the Woods

When tales come alive

@brittarnhild

I have been to a senior cafe today, to talk about my travel to Nepal almost two years ago. I started to tell about my visit to Chitwan National Park, the huge elephants and the elephant safari. I told them about the tiny little box on top of the elephants which was meant to give space to four people, I didn´t need to ask them to look at me and the size of my body comparedto a much smaller man or woman from Nepal. I told them about my worry about being too big for the box and then my fear that I would not be able to crawl out after the safari. I told them about the almost two hours when I sat on the back of an elephant, smiling until I felt my jews went out of joints. The joy. The pleasure. Thre freedom.

Afterwards, while we had coffee, several of the women, and also a few men, came over to my table. They had tales to share. One woman had been to Chitwan herself, doing the same elephant safari. Another woman had a good friend who had a daughter who had lived in Nepal for many years. One woman came from a village where the late missionary I told about lated in my tale was born, the sister of the missionary had been her nurse and she would never forget when........

The tales floated, and I was the lucky, blessed recipient.

Not all tales were connected to Nepal. One of my aunts, my father´s younger sister, was there also. She came over to sit at my table to drink her coffee. She visited Nepal about 10 years ago and started with some of her travel tales from that trip. But after a while she started to tell about when she, her husband and my four cousins went to Taiwan to stay for three years. This must have been in the early 1970ies. I remember me and my oldest cousin were penpals through those three years. What a joy to hear about it through my aunts words.

 

I have been thinking about all these tales today. And I have been thinking about all the millions of tales each of us bring with us. The tales that make up our lives. The treasure chests we all are.

And I continue to think of two things, or rather, I am giving myself a homework with two tasks:

to listen when people share from their treasures

to share freely from my own chest

 

A Memory Lane Detour

@brittarnhild

I had lunch with a friend today, in the cathedral cafe. I came a little early and my friend was a little late. Which gave me time to take a memory lane detour.

The cathedral has always played an important part in my life. Today´s cafe is situated in a new, modern glass house. When I grew up there used to be an old, red, wooden building here. Most people found it kind of ugly. I loved its faded charm. When I was a teenager I belonged to the youth club which was run by the cathedral congregations. On Sundays we often came to the church early, and when the service started, we had Sunday school, or more kind of a babysitting, for the children. Sometimes inside the cathedral. More often in the old, red building. Where we could go wild in all the narrow hallways and tiny rooms.

Most of my memories from this period have faded away. But they are not gone completely. I am glad I am able to blow life into them from time to time.

 

As I sat there waiting for my friend I made a New Year´s resolution  new season resolution. I will come early more often. To get time for memory lane walks.