Pirates?

As I drink my coffee in my sleeping bag, a little boat approaches. Two men skillfully jump out of the boat. They walk in my direction. What do they want? A strange feeling creeps over me, but they empty the trash bins, refill the toilet paper, and off they go. They are the garbage men!

Boring route

Almost all day I walk along a railway line. “Boring,” most people would say. Miles of track, a few houses, fields, an occasional train. Nothing more. While walking, I find myself wondering why boredom is nearly not allowed these days.

Boredom

As a child, I could really get bored. I remember rainy Sundays when time seemed to stand still. You just didn’t know what to do. Yet, something always came out of that boredom. You would start crafting, reading, or just making things up. I must admit, though, that I was also happy when Monday came and I could go back to school.

Now, boredom seems almost non-existent. We grab our phones the moment we have to wait even a little. There’s always a video or a message to fill the silence. By the way, I’m the first one to do that too.

Everything seems to have to be spectacular

As I continue walking, I look around even more consciously. The long railway line. The rust on the iron. The wheat in the wind. The wildflowers. Here and there a colorful wooden house. Clouds. Nothing special. And yet I find it beautiful. Perhaps precisely because of that. Because it is so ordinary. If you can see it, beauty can actually be found everywhere.

Seeing the spectacular in the mundane

Of course, an outstanding experience every now and then is more than welcome, but on social media, everything seems to have to be spectacular. Bali. Dubai. The summit of Mount Everest. Always something to impress with. As if happiness and beauty can only be found there. Here, along a railway line in Norway, I suddenly feel very happy. Perhaps that is the greatest art: not constantly searching for the spectacular, but learning to see the spectacular in the ordinary, in the mundane.

Signed,

Mr. Boring

P.S. But… I won’t do a boring shelter. That is located by a flowing river where the salmon pass by to lay their eggs upstream. Fantastic!

Overnight stay: Greåker/Solgårdhavna