I’m still reeling from my Safari trip. It’s amazing how you can go to a completely different place and learn things that are useful in your own life, no matter how different or complex you think your life/world is. So here’s a few lessons I learned (re-learned) while I was on Safari that I wanted to share with you.
1. Appreciate the moment. Some of the most ordinary things (rain, quiet, sun, wind) can change the scenery and add beauty in their own way if you take the time to notice.
2. Be respectful. When you don’t respect an animals space they flee, sometimes they attack. The same goes with people. Silence is golden. Learn when to use it.
3. Sometimes the things you want are right in front of you. Open your eyes to new possibilities. While on safari, we were eager to see one of the big cats, preferrably a lion. One day our driver parked us in front of a huge bush and said, “there’s a lion in the bush.” We looked high and low, peered in between branches, and zoomed with our lenses but saw no lion. But as I was assured a lion was less than 3 feet from my face, I kept looking and eventually I saw two of the biggest golden eyes staring back at me. Suddenly his whole body came into focus. I had been frantically looking and fretting, so focused on leaves, thorns and darkness that I couldn’t see what was right in front of me.
4. Charge your batteries. When you are too tired, worn out and overwhelmed to seize opportunities you only hurt yourself. Take some time out to re-energize, renew, relax, relate and release.
5. Speak with gratitude. I’m the first to remind myself that I don’t have quite as many square feet as I’d like. I began to see my own life differently when I stepped inside a dung hut. Instead of describing my home as small, I began to think of it as cozy, chic and comfortable. The important thing is that as long as it feels like home, it is.
