This photo titled ‘Finding Peace in Feeling Small’ is taken by International House student Georgia Morris in Møre og Romsdal, Norway. According to the artist, “’Feeling small’ is a phrase with many different meanings. Is it feeling short next to a tall person? Is it feeling like you are young again? Or is it a much deeper feeling? Is it feeling like you are not enough? Feeling insignificant in this huge world we live in? This feeling is different for everyone and can be somewhat discomforting depending on how you view life. I am sure you have seen those videos that begin with Earth and start zooming out. .and zooming out… and zooming out for trillions of lightyears. Videos like that make you feel very small when you see your size compared to the other planets, the sun, the galaxies, and beyond. To some, this feeling of being small is very discomforting. Some people find their comfort in the meaning of life, or the significance of “being,” and when you think about how small you really are, it makes you wonder what that significance even is. Perhaps feeling as if you have no purpose in life is the most discomforting thing of all. Visiting a place like the Geirangerfjord in Norway prompts that feeling. The landscape does not do this intentionally; however, standing at the mouth of the fjord, halfway up the mountain road I had been driving on for the last three days, I just felt so small, and my problems, so insignificant. It was discomforting. I had never seen something so vast before. I looked down upon the water and scanned the cruise ships full of thousands of tourists around the world, coming to see the same views I am soaking in. Simultaneously, everyone had begun to feel the same thing. Perhaps other people found comfort in this moment; however, I felt discomfort. As I looked across the sky for miles and miles ahead, it triggered the same feeling as watching those videos mentioned above, but this time it was so much more real and tangible. I was firmly planted on the side of one of Norway’s most famous fjords, soaking in the culture of the country, and questioning how I got here. As a small-town girl from Tennessee, somehow, I made my way to the northern side of Scandinavia, crossing paths with numerous people living completely different walks of life. This was a first-time experience for me and seeking that type of discomfort has helped me grow as a person. I felt peace in my smallness. When we can accept how small we are in this world, it allows us to be opened up to the differences in those around us. Perhaps this is a form of discomfort we should all seek to feel. Feeling small is scary, but definitely encourages learning about the life experienced by others around you.”