Picking up the pieces

Whether I wanted to or not, I had to move on with my life over the weekend. I had a scheduled excursion to Hallingdal, a town situated in valley at 1,000 meters above sea level. I was still quite shaken up about the experience on Friday, and I really didn't feel like traveling and having fun. Nevertheless, I showed up to the bus on Saturday morning with my broken heart in check.

Our trip took us to a wildlife park, which the owners call a sanctuary for both animals and people. Maybe they were right. There were hundreds of families with small children at this park. I expected that everyone would stay cooped up in their homes after such a tragedy, but I was wrong. As I watched small children interact with goats, elk, and reindeer, I marveled at how little tragedy affects them. Both animals and children are oblivious to the pain that the rest of the world feels. I was comforted to realize that this is not a burden that the innocent of society has to bear.

We stayed at a mountain lodge on Saturday night. On Sunday morning, we were supposed to go out for a hike, but I decided to stay at the lodge to avoid the rain. I spent some time in meditation and reflection in my free time. Between the time I spent alone and healing capabilities of the Norwegian wilderness, I got myself through the weekend without breaking down. The moment I returned to Oslo, however, all of the sadness and solemnity returned.