I recently returned from a 17-day safari in Kenya and Tanzania. To say this was a life-changing experience is an understatement. I had the good fortune to attend with leaders from the African Wildlife Foundation (AWF). This Africa-based global conservation organization works to ensure wildlife and wild lands thrive in modern Africa.
I created a scrapbook with some of my favorite photos. If you'd like to see them, click the button below.
Living Outside My Comfort Zone
I took this trip, in part, to live outside my comfort zone for a while. As I have gotten older, I've found that my life is more predictable, with every hour well-planned. Likewise, my days are filled with multi-tasking and media. I have become adept at eating a meal while working on my computer, texting a friend, and checking the online news, all at the same time.
Key Takeaways
My time in Africa was different, and here are a couple of takeaways:
1) Being Present and Patient. One of my greatest joys was seeing the playfulness of wild animals in their natural habitat, like a baby elephant rolling around in the mud while his mother cajoled him with her trunk: get up, get up. Or seeing a mother baboon scoop up her little one and hold him to her chest when our jeep went by. To notice these things I had to be present...and patient. This isn't like Hollywood, where we could "cue the giraffes, stage right." We had to be vigilant, watching and waiting for whatever might unfold.
2) Being Open to Possibility. On safari, you never know what will happen on any given day. We weren't sure about the next day's agenda until the night before. Then, truly, anything could happen. We might see a lion walking next to our jeep, less than three feet away, or 10,000 wildebeest ready to cross the Mara River (and then deciding not to!) Or, we might not see any wildlife for a long stretch.
What I Can Apply
Of course, I'm back in my usual surroundings, with great Internet access and (what seems like) a million things to do. The trick is to apply some of my takeaways to the reality of my world. I'm starting with breakfast, taking time to enjoy my meal on our back patio with my dog Bella. Together, we can overlook the canyon by our house, see what we can see in our own backyard, and be grateful for how the day may unfold.
