Description

Friluftsliv

I love the people and land of Norway. On my last visit there I learned something from them that changed my life and explained it. 

It is called Friluftsliv and it means “open-air life” or “outdoor living.” It is part of the culture of Scandinavia and it translates that they are a people of the outdoors—a people connected to nature. To them there is no such thing as bad weather, only bad clothing. They love the outdoors and no matter the season you will find them constantly outside, taking walks, hiking, skiing, recreating, or just sitting in a park or on a mountain and feeling the world around them.  On the weekend it is part of the culture to escape the city and go off grid in a tent, camper, or cabin with the family. It is a national movement, complete with its own law called “allemannsretten” which means the “Right to Roam”.  You can go anywhere, even private property if you respect the rights of others. There are universities and professors that teach the art of friluftsliv. 

Time is granted weekly by employers to get outside and be in nature. The people of the North will attest to the fact that connecting with the natural world relieves stress, promotes physical health, bonds them to friends and family, and adds to their happiness. And who is to argue as surveys administered year after year demonstrate that the people of Scandinavia are the happiest people on earth. 

I learned that to find this joy, I needed to get outside. I don’t have to leave civilization, but sometimes it helps. Sit on the front lawn, go to a park, walk a trail, climb a mountain, sit by a lake, or just study a tree or flower. Then, feel! Forget my cell phone and open my senses. What do I see of nature about me: the clouds, the landscape, the flowers of spring, the storm? What do I hear: the birds, the breeze, the rustle of leaves? What do I feel: the sun on my cheek, the wind in my hair, the grass or sand beneath my feet?   And on it goes through the senses. When I open my heart to the natural world about me, and really see it, hear it, feel it, etc, I connect and feel joy and peace. I am connected to the great author of nature who created this earth “to please the eye and to gladden the heart…for taste and for to smell, to strengthen the body and enliven the soul” (DC 59:18-19). The earth is a gift and a powerful source of peace and joy. 

I have known it all my life—since I was a little boy, but I grew up and allowed the cares and stresses of the world to overshadow the importance of that connection. God is in nature and nature is in God. 

Recently, I returned to the land of my upbringing—the Lemhi River country of Idaho. This is farm and ranch country in the central part of the state. I spent a glorious two days with snow-capped mountains and rolling hills, budding trees and peeking grasses, fast flowing streams and heavy rivers, meadowlarks and robins, deer and pronghorn, cattle and horses, clouds and stars. I felt a profound sense of joy and peace and realized I was home again—both in proximity to my old home and my Heavenly home. I can’t wait to go back. 

Friluftsliv! I share this wisdom from the far north, that you can learn and be happy and at peace in any place, under any sky, in any weather, any season, any climate. Go outside and open yourself up! You will be filled.