I have long read the words of the Norse Sagas and Edda's around the fire in the long hall whilst sipping mead from a horn-cup and seem always to find relevant meaning so thought I'd share some with you; The quote and my interpretation. Naturally my interpretation or understanding may vary to your own, as it should be, so feel free to add your own thoughts in the comments section below if you like.
I don't actually have a Viking long hall, but I have a fire and mead so I'm mostly there. Either way, the reading is valuable.
Not every cloud which darkens the day brings rain. - Heiðarvíga saga
I've been guilty of looking at an event or situation and seeing the worst of it, allowing my attitude to backslide, feeling out of control or hopeless. I can remember a few occasions when doing so has severely limited my forward progress and looking back now I feel pretty disappointed in myself.
Fortunately I've worked hard on a few strategies to prevent it from reoccurring and these days tend to be more solutions-focused, an attitude that works far better than the former and provides much better results.
I chose this quote for its simplicity and relevance as I believe there's many people out there who are in such a place that they seem to expect negativity or bad things, and their attitude mirrors that expectation. It's easy to allow one bad or negative thing to spiral out of control and effect everything else leaving us seeing everything as such.
We've all just experienced a fairly challenging year, and are into another one, and I think it's important to acknowledge that but also see that it's not all terrible, that there's been some light at the end of the tunnel.
It's interesting to note that many people have done so citing 2020 as a good year for themselves as they learned more about who they were, what was important, how they dealt with adversity, how they sought positivity, worked around complications or dealt with emotional and mental stresses. That's what this quote refers to.
I'm not one who proceeds through life with a blindly positive outlook - I think that can be somewhat dangerous. However, I focus on desired outcomes and results, home-in on the reasons why I want to achieve a thing, feel or act a certain way. That keeps me on track. All the while I keep perspective around the fact that sometimes things go awry, plans fail and bad things occur. To believe otherwise is not wise.
That's, in my humble opinion, what that quote above refers to...The ability to travel one's own paths, seek one's destinations [outcomes] with an attitude that accounts for the success and failure, the trials and tribulations, one will invariably face along the way. It's a quote about perspective, understanding of oneself and influencing one's attitudes.
Just lastly...Yep, not every grey cloud brings rain...But if you happen to be underneath one that does bring rain you have a choice...Deal with it by going inside and doing something else, putting up an umbrella and getting shit done or maybe even revelling in the glorious feeling of being in the rain, having those wonderful cleansing drops wash away your doubt, fears and uncertainty, or just your hesitancy to stand under a grey cloud in the first place. Sometimes life is sunny, sometimes rainy...But it's always life - One might as well live it I think.
That's what I see in this quote today anyway. What about you
Here's some background on the Norse Edda's and Sagas including what they actually are. They were not written originally, the words I read have since been recorded of course though, and thankfully so.
An Edda is a collection of poems based around Norse legends held within two Icelandic books of the 13th-century called the Poetic Edda and Prose Edda. Much of the understanding around Scandinavian mythology derives from them.
A saga is a story focused on Norse, Icelandic and Viking history, folklore and heroic achievement - Mostly recorded around the 12th and 13th century.
It's interesting to note that Vikings were much more than violent raiders who revelled in battle and conquest, that they had a culture rich in story-telling and poetry; The Viking poet was one of the most respected among their society and in the mead-halls throughout the Viking world they could be found retelling stories of conquest, the gods, heroes, lovers and history in general. Sagas and Edda's were also passed from father to son and mother to daughter - The collective history of the Viking people passed by word of mouth, not written and recorded.
They had runes and glyphs however these were reserved for ceremonial purposes - They didn't write their history, they told it through the Edda's and Sagas.
Without those two elements they are just words. Quotes are the wisdom in words of those who came before us and a wise person will seek that wisdom, determine how it may relate to them and embrace it.
Feel free to interpret the quote above, to apply it to yourself, and let me know what you think in the comments below; I'm interested to know what you see and feel based on this weeks quote.
Skol.
Design and create your ideal life, don't live it by default - Tomorrow isn't promised so be humble and kind
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