An underlying condition of being able to live in the spirit of nuannaarpoq is resilience in the face of setbacks.  It’s a quality I particularly admire in people who manage to keep enjoying life and its finer moments even after suffering severe shocks and trauma.  It’s therefore one of the themes I chose to touch on in nuannaarpoq.com.

Here it is symbolized in the capacity of trees to grow in extreme weather conditions.

Trees in the Arctic have an aura of implacable endurance about them.  A cross-section of the bole of a Richardson willow no thicker than your finger may reveal 200 annual growth rings.

See also our celebration of this marvelous book, complete with a richly illustrated quote mosaic.

Source: Barry Lopez, Arctic Dreams (London: Picador, 1987), p. 29

Photo credit: Finmiki at pixabay.com