Sometimes you get tired during the Icelandic winter. Depression after depression, blizzard after blizzard, sleet and ice, rain in between and then a short break that gives you hope that better times are ahead. Then it all starts again.
Then you look at the world news and read about the tragedy in Ukraine and all of a sudden the world gets a different look, a different color and the feeling changes. A little ingratitude for the boring weather turns into gratitude for the Icelandic winter and the security that we Icelanders have.
Or we Icelanders may not be as safe as we think. We are a small nation in the middle of the Atlantic and we do not have an army but we are members of NATO. If NATO goes to war, then we are at war too. If they did, there would be powerful weapons that could change the cycle of nature, whether here in Iceland or elsewhere. In other words, we are one step away from war like other NATO nations, and all of a sudden the Icelandic winter takes on a completely different meaning.
The Icelandic winter is great. Even though there is depression after depression with snow or rain, it is wonderful to enjoy life and experience the stunning Icelandic nature and the cycle of nature year after year, which is perhaps always similar but never the same. When the light shines in between and the sun shines over the Westfjords mountains, the world is perfect one day at a time.
