--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: When I was 23, my Norwegian relatives…" description: "\"When I was 23, my Norwegian relatives taught me how to sit still. During the long sunlit evenings in the summer of 1992, my cousins would lead me acros..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/819/hope-jahren-4468_chair_when-i-was-23-my-norwegian-relatives-tau_1817607.jpg" --- # When I was 23, my Norwegian relatives taught me how to sit… ![“When I was 23, my Norwegian relatives taught me how to sit still. During the long sunlit evenings in the summer of 1992, my cousins would lead me across the farm to the edge of the forest, each of us lugging a folding chair. There, in a scraggly bramble of wild blueberries, we would set them down…” quote by Hope Jahren](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/819/hope-jahren-4468_chair_when-i-was-23-my-norwegian-relatives-tau_1817607.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/819/hope-jahren-4468_chair_when-i-was-23-my-norwegian-relatives-tau_1817607.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/819/hope-jahren-4468_chair_when-i-was-23-my-norwegian-relatives-tau_1817607.jpg) > “When I was 23, my Norwegian relatives taught me how to sit still. During the long sunlit evenings in the summer of 1992, my cousins would lead me across the farm to the edge of the forest, each of us lugging a folding chair. There, in a scraggly bramble of wild blueberries, we would set them down a few yards apart, each in our own little patch.” [Hope Jahren](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hope-jahren/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Learning to sit still in nature taught patience and observation, fostering a deeper connection to the environment and personal growth. **In simple terms:** Sitting still in nature builds patience and connection. Key Takeaway Practice stillness to enhance focus and appreciation. Themes nature mindfulness learning growth patience Mood calm inspired Type reflective inspirational When to use this quote - Outdoor meditation - creative work - stress relief - team building - personal reflection Key Concepts Observation embodiment environmental awareness Questions to Reflect On - How can you incorporate stillness into daily routine? - What insights arise from observing nature quietly? A Different Perspective Modern life often discourages stillness; distractions can impede deep observation. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Forest](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/forest/) [Summer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/summer/) ## Related quotes > [Maine is the only state in the country to produce wild blueberries - the industry is central to our heritage and culture.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sara-gideon/maine-is-the-only-state-in-the-country-to-produce-wild-blueberries/) [Sara Gideon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sara-gideon/) > [Training began with children who were taught to sit still and enjoy it. They were taught to use their organs of smell, to look…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/luther-standing-bear/training-began-with-children-who-were-taught-to-sit-still-and-enjoy/) [Luther Standing Bear](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/luther-standing-bear/) > [“Finnick and I sit for a long time in silence, watching the knots bloom and vanish, before I can ask, 'How do you bear…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/suzanne-collins/finnick-and-i-sit-for-a-long-time-in-silence-watching-the-knots-bloom/) [Suzanne Collins](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/suzanne-collins/) > [... for I know I shall be interrupted-- I shall want to be, really, because life is too exciting to sit still for long.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dodie-smith/for-i-know-i-shall-be-interrupted-i-shall-want-to-be-really-because/) [Dodie Smith](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dodie-smith/) > [I have insomnia, and it's hard for me to sit still for a long time. My mind is always "tick, tick, tick."](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cheyenne-jackson/i-have-insomnia-and-it-s-hard-for-me-to-sit-still-for-a-long-time-my/) [Cheyenne Jackson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cheyenne-jackson/) > [People should never sit alone for too long when they're crying.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dalai-lama/people-should-never-sit-alone-for-too-long-when-they-re-crying/) [Dalai Lama](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dalai-lama/) > [Some people get a Broadway show, and that's their end game, and they want to sit there for as long as possible. And some…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/daveed-diggs/some-people-get-a-broadway-show-and-that-s-their-end-game-and-they/) [Daveed Diggs](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/daveed-diggs/) > [I've been working really hard, and it's been nice because you get to not sit with yourself for too long.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/zelda-williams/i-ve-been-working-really-hard-and-it-s-been-nice-because-you-get-to/) [Zelda Williams](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/zelda-williams/) > [“Don’t let things sit for too long. It’s always tempting to just ignore the things that aren’t actually on fire just at the moment,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-s-a-corey/don-t-let-things-sit-for-too-long-it-s-always-tempting-to-just-ignore/) [James S.A. Corey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-s-a-corey/) > [“People say life is short, but it's not. It's long, so damn long – ye can't help but make a mess of it. ‘Tis…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/caimh-mcdonnell/people-say-life-is-short-but-it-s-not-it-s-long-so-damn-long-ye-can-t/) [Caimh McDonnell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/caimh-mcdonnell/) > [The hardest thing about 'Strictly' is having to sit still for so long; it just about kills me.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/darcey-bussell/the-hardest-thing-about-strictly-is-having-to-sit-still-for-so-long/) [Darcey Bussell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/darcey-bussell/) > [Like I always say, if you sit long enough by the crack of the door, you'll see your enemy go by in a hearse.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sally-stanford/like-i-always-say-if-you-sit-long-enough-by-the-crack-of-the-door-you/) [Sally Stanford](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sally-stanford/) > [I can't sit down long enough to absorb any kind of learning.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/buddy-rich/i-can-t-sit-down-long-enough-to-absorb-any-kind-of-learning/) [Buddy Rich](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/buddy-rich/) > [You only need sit still long enough in some attractive spot in the woods that all its inhabitants may exhibit themselves to you by…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/henry-david-thoreau/you-only-need-sit-still-long-enough-in-some-attractive-spot-in-the/) [Henry David Thoreau](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/henry-david-thoreau/) > [I like films, but I can't sit still for very long.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/guy-martin/i-like-films-but-i-can-t-sit-still-for-very-long/) [Guy Martin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/guy-martin/) ## More by Hope Jahren > [A tree's wood is also its memoir.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hope-jahren/a-tree-s-wood-is-also-its-memoir/) [Hope Jahren](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hope-jahren/) > [“You and I are going to work our asses off, teach them shit over and over, risk our fucking lives for them, and they…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hope-jahren/you-and-i-are-going-to-work-our-asses-off-teach-them-shit-over-and/) [Hope Jahren](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hope-jahren/) > [Men and women study things differently, and it's not because of our chromosomes. It's a product of our cultural conditioning.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hope-jahren/men-and-women-study-things-differently-and-it-s-not-because-of-our/) [Hope Jahren](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hope-jahren/) > [One thing that was very important to me was that I felt comfortable in the lab from being very, very small. I knew that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hope-jahren/one-thing-that-was-very-important-to-me-was-that-i-felt-comfortable/) [Hope Jahren](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hope-jahren/) > [If every seed turned into a plant, we'd be living in a very different world.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hope-jahren/if-every-seed-turned-into-a-plant-we-d-be-living-in-a-very-different/) [Hope Jahren](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hope-jahren/) > [The live oak can grow sturdily on the hottest hills of central California, contrasting dark green against the golden grass.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hope-jahren/the-live-oak-can-grow-sturdily-on-the-hottest-hills-of-central/) [Hope Jahren](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hope-jahren/) > [I grew up playing with kids who were the kids of people my parents grew up playing with, and they know me like nobody…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hope-jahren/i-grew-up-playing-with-kids-who-were-the-kids-of-people-my-parents/) [Hope Jahren](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hope-jahren/) > [The world breaks a little bit every time we cut down a tree. It's so much easier to cut one down than to grow…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hope-jahren/the-world-breaks-a-little-bit-every-time-we-cut-down-a-tree-it-s-so/) [Hope Jahren](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hope-jahren/) > [For a tree, to endure four months of daylight is like you or I going without sleep for four months.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hope-jahren/for-a-tree-to-endure-four-months-of-daylight-is-like-you-or-i-going/) [Hope Jahren](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hope-jahren/) > [I feel like I'm the same scientist I was back when I couldn't get a grant. Now I'm that same person thinking that same…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hope-jahren/i-feel-like-i-m-the-same-scientist-i-was-back-when-i-couldn-t-get-a/) [Hope Jahren](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hope-jahren/) > [Plants are decisive to a fault. A stem produces a bud that flowers once and once only. It offers pollen that is either dispersed…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hope-jahren/plants-are-decisive-to-a-fault-a-stem-produces-a-bud-that-flowers/) [Hope Jahren](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hope-jahren/) > [Even a very little girl can wield a slide rule, the cursor serving as a haft.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hope-jahren/even-a-very-little-girl-can-wield-a-slide-rule-the-cursor-serving-as/) [Hope Jahren](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hope-jahren/) > [“People will tell you that you have to know math to be a scientist, or physics or chemistry. They’re wrong. That’s like saying you…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hope-jahren/people-will-tell-you-that-you-have-to-know-math-to-be-a-scientist-or/) [Hope Jahren](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hope-jahren/) > [No matter how much funding I get, I'm always thinking, 'This is temporary. This is fragile. It could all end tomorrow, and how am…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hope-jahren/no-matter-how-much-funding-i-get-i-m-always-thinking-this-is/) [Hope Jahren](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hope-jahren/) > [“Everybody does all kinds of shit that they don’t know why they do. They just know that they have to,”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hope-jahren/everybody-does-all-kinds-of-shit-that-they-don-t-know-why-they-do/) [Hope Jahren](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hope-jahren/) [Explore all 110 Hope Jahren quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hope-jahren/) ## More Blueberries quotes > [I don't think I've ever bench-pressed anything in my life. Until about two years ago I swam a mile almost every day. Then I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nick-antosca/i-don-t-think-i-ve-ever-bench-pressed-anything-in-my-life-until-about/) [Nick Antosca](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nick-antosca/) > [My mother tells me I do not chew my food enough; she says I am making it harder for my body to get the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joe-dunthorne/my-mother-tells-me-i-do-not-chew-my-food-enough-she-says-i-am-making/) [Joe Dunthorne](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joe-dunthorne/) > [Sam loved to listen to music and make his own songs, to wear soft velvets, to play in the castle kitchen beside the cooks,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/sam-loved-to-listen-to-music-and-make-his-own-songs-to-wear-soft/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [I ate two waffles, a banana and cereal with blueberries. And that whas between my two breakfasts.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/amy-poehler/i-ate-two-waffles-a-banana-and-cereal-with-blueberries-and-that-whas/) [Amy Poehler](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/amy-poehler/) > [I found my thrill on Blueberry Hill,](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/fats-domino/i-found-my-thrill-on-blueberry-hill/) [Fats Domino](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/fats-domino/) > [Vladimir Putin and Russia. 'When a bear wakes up from hibernation, he doesn't eat a few blueberries and then go back to sleep.' They…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/seth-moulton/vladimir-putin-and-russia-when-a-bear-wakes-up-from-hibernation-he/) [Seth Moulton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/seth-moulton/) > [My mother's blueberry pie from scratch was amazing. I still make it today.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/geoffrey-zakarian/my-mother-s-blueberry-pie-from-scratch-was-amazing-i-still-make-it/) [Geoffrey Zakarian](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/geoffrey-zakarian/) > [Godzilla. The big, green G-man has had a profound influence on my creative endeavors and imagination since I was blueberry-avoiding kid.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jeremy-robinson/godzilla-the-big-green-g-man-has-had-a-profound-influence-on-my/) [Jeremy Robinson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jeremy-robinson/) > [If you're looking for me just follow the trail of blueberries.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ariana-grande/if-you-re-looking-for-me-just-follow-the-trail-of-blueberries/) [Ariana Grande](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ariana-grande/) > [You'll never regret eating blueberries or working up a sweat.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jacquelyn-mitchard/you-ll-never-regret-eating-blueberries-or-working-up-a-sweat/) [Jacquelyn Mitchard](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jacquelyn-mitchard/) > [“Yeah, this place needs a better-quality blueberry muffin." I raised a pointed finger. "And I could provide it." "You sound pretty sure of yourself,"…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mary-simses/yeah-this-place-needs-a-better-quality-blueberry-muffin-i-raised-a/) [Mary Simses](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mary-simses/) > [This is my breakfast: Two poached eggs, turkey bacon, and a half avocado. The yolks in a poached egg are alkalizing. Avocados are a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/april-bowlby/this-is-my-breakfast-two-poached-eggs-turkey-bacon-and-a-half-avocado/) [April Bowlby](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/april-bowlby/) > [Cacao has the highest antioxidant concentration of any major food in the world. Cacao is thirty times higher in antioxidants than red wine, twenty…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-wolfe/cacao-has-the-highest-antioxidant-concentration-of-any-major-food-in/) [David Wolfe](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-wolfe/) > [They would think she was savoring the taste (blueberries, cinnamon, cream-excellent), but she was actually savoring the whole morning, trying to catch it, pin…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/liane-moriarty/they-would-think-she-was-savoring-the-taste-blueberries-cinnamon/) [Liane Moriarty](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/liane-moriarty/) > [Dried oregano has thirty times the brain-healing antioxidant power of raw blueberries, forty-six times more than apples, and fifty-six times as much as strawberries,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/dried-oregano-has-thirty-times-the-brain-healing-antioxidant-power-of/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) Browse all 60 Blueberries quotes ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "When I was 23, my Norwegian relatives taught me how to sit still. 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