NUMENON |
PONDERING CORE ESSENCE
NUMENON |
I recently returned from my first trip to Europe. Motivation for the trip was provided by my youngest daughter's presence in Stockholm, Sweden for the current academic semester. Why not visit her, and use that as an excuse to see and experience a new part of the world? To be honest, I was originally motivated by the prospect of fishing in Sweden for some giant pike, perch or zander. Those plans were delayed until some vague future time while we worked out the logistics of the trip. Moreover, we were fresh off a big trip to New England and harried at work. So, neither A nor I had really put much particular effort in planning what we might actually do while in Sweden and Denmark. We'd take our cues from M and others who are more informed than us; we'd relax and sample what Stockholm and Copenhagen might have to offer. Our strategy paid off. We were able to relax and enjoy ourselves, while we spent about one third of our time on each of the following topics: Natural History; Art and Architectural History; and Royal History. Of course, there was good food and drink to be had, too! ![]() Copenhagen is the home of The Little Mermaid, so it was no surprise to find this over a doorway in Christiansborg Castle. Upon notice, I instantly snapped a photo for my daughter, K. Disney's release of The Little Mermaid might have been her first movie theater experience, She's loving and half-aquatic, to boot. We spent a fair amount of time in and around Amelienborg Palace in Copenhagen. Here, I noted a written quote, attributed to Queen Margrethe II of Denmark. "Here, no matter what time of day, in what sort of weather or at which time of year - nothing is more beautiful...(It) has a particular light." This light, in part, had attracted us to, and kept us at, this particular place. But I couldn't help but notice and reflect that it is this light from my girls that illuminates my path. ![]() The vibrant colors of "The Queen's Tapestries" at Christiansborg Castle in Copenhagen show that they are not antiquities, but the crazy content of this one (depicting the future) caught my eye and made me pay attention to them. M loved this room, which I think captures the golden light that I associate with her. This trip was better than expected. It was truly touching. The things and experiences were nice. But, to know that there are futures beyond the scope of the pasts we've shared to date, was both humbling and inspiring. We'll be back. And next time, there might even be some fishing! Pondering the questions of core essence and finding meaning in unexpected ways
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Steve LachanceVia Rhode Island, New Hampshire, Michigan and now, back to New England! Archives
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