“One perfect day can give clues for a more perfect life.”
— Anne Morrow Lindbergh
While last week’s micro-story from Guatemala was full of balmy lake breezes, this week on Instagram we headed to a completely different clime…north of the Arctic Circle to an archipelago that still holds a huge piece my heart: Norway’s gorgeous Lofoten Islands.
When I was based on Lofoten for ten weeks in 2016, I serendipitously connected with two old friends who were also there at the time, Nick and Torill. They shared that they were planning to take their sailboat north from Lofoten to a city called Tromsø — one of the northernmost cities in the world — and they kindly invited me to join them. The date they were planning to set out on the 19-hour voyage was even the very same day I had to move out of the artists’ house I was staying in then.
Though I had never sailed before and had little idea of what to expect from the trip, I took the perfect timing as a sign from the universe — that this was one of those journeys you have no choice but to say yes to. And the longer I sailed — first from Lofoten to Tromsø, and then back to Lofoten on board one of Norway’s famous Hurtigruten coastal ferries — the more grateful I was that I’d gone.
Ferries and sailboats, cozy cafés and delectable pastries—these are only a few of the things this week’s micro-story held, not to mention a lesson I remember even now:
Sometimes it’s the days we plan the least
that hold the greatest gifts.
Beautiful! Thanks for sharing your lovely sketches and story. 🙂 It sounds like you had a wonderful spur of the moment adventure.
I’m so sorry not to have gotten back to you here sooner, Judy, but thank you so much for your lovely comment! And I’m thrilled to have heard from you during your own wonderful adventure in Greece right now 🙂
I really love your new format and the way your stories are set out Candace, one can see how much time has gone into them. This is a gorgeous story about Lofoten and I would so love to go and there and also see the Aurora Borealis. Thanks so much again for one of your gorgeous interludes. 🌺❤️
Hello, dear Victoria! I so hope you’ll forgive me for taking this long to get back to your wonderful comment here, but I just wanted to thank you for your kind words — and I certainly hope you’ll have the chance to witness Lofoten’s beauty (and the magic of the Northern Lights!) very soon. Sending a big hug your way today! <3