Taking a holiday - the dilemma of resting in Europe as a workaholic american

An Allison Post -

 a person who chooses to work a lot : a person who is always working, thinking about work, etc. - Merriam Webster

I had to analyze 3 separate results from my google search on "workaholic" before I could come to this conclusion. I can't believe I'm typing this: My name is Allison, and I might be a workaholic.

Voila, Vidar's Cabin, built by his grandfather.
Blueberries everywhere we stepped! 

BIG surprise (or not really for those who experience my day-to-day schedule). Jeremiah remarks from behind me that 'this confession is huge'. Pfft, that guy was born to relax. Busy-ness has been my way for forever! I try to reason with myself, making comparisons to justify my issue: "...but you enjoy doing this so its not really work..." and "...somebody's gotta do it!" But I saw some light the other day when I couldn't take a nap, no deadlines in sight, with no work to be done, in a brand new country I just moved into, WITHOUT spiraling into a guilty panic...it gets a little easier to name the beast.

All this to say that it feels like our transition to Norway had some divine order to it for sure. We entered the country at a time when everybody is "on holiday". Down here in the southern half of Norway, every other person I meet either owns a summer cabin or knows somebody who does. There's this romanticism that comes with Norwegian summers in relationship to nature (most likely the direct result of long, cold,  snowmageddon winters lasting for 6ish months with a max of 3-5 daylight hours). You find these people running to the hills and lakes to catch as much warm and bright fun as possible, including all of our bosses! Who knew we'd get a turn so soon:

They don't use bait in Norway, their
fish just get on the hook!!! I caught for
that day. Probably need to tell those fish
in America to get with the program.

So after spending a lively evening [a rummy game that didn't end well] with our Pastor, Vidar, he drops us off at home with an invitation to come with him to his summer cabin the next door. We didn't know what we were in for but we found ourselves cruising through the county of Telemark the next morning, ooh-ing and ah-ing at the dynamic landscapes. After a couple hours of travels we parked on the side of a semi-beaten path and prepared to "walk" to our destination. It was an adventure just getting to the summer house itself! Each step into the woods marked with discovery: a woodpecker's pinecone station, a beaver dam, giant ant mounds, and plenty of evidence of a nearby moose. Covered with twigs and sweat we finally arrived at the glorious summer house. The whole experience looked like it came out of an enchanted storybook: a little house in the forest, built by the lake, surrounded by berries and wildflowers.

Our friend Vidar! He spent half the fishing
expedition trying to get that line untangled.
This man exudes patience, plus it looks like
he's doing my hair, ha!

The view over Dalen in the Northen part of Telemark less than 5km from the cabin.

Swallowed up in undisturbed nature, the LORD was ministering to my soul for real. It'd been way too long since I'd felt a silent peace like I did in the forest. We only stayed for a night, but it felt like home. It's almost like time stops, to be disconnected from the world like that can be so freeing. I got why Jesus took His disciples on retreats. Sadly we heard the news of terrorist attacks in Nice the next morning, another act of senseless violence reminding me of painfully fresh attacks in America the previous week.

I looked outside and thought about heaven on earth, peace and beauty like I was experiencing then, and a hope for the world to return. Its too loud in the world right now. God has conducted an amazing creation song of unity and peace we all need to hear, though it seems to be masked by fear, by selfish ambition, and by the ones who can sing the loudest. I find myself falling prey to this. I'm fighting myself to be quieter so I can hear that song above my plans, and above my judgements. There's a lot of work to be done in the world, but part of my work is being still and remembering who I am, it's rest too. I hope to take advantage of as much of this nature as possible. It shows me my weakness andreminds me that how big God is. Ironically that drives me, and that's making me a whole lot stronger.