Safari: Lessons for Life

I recently returned from a visit to Southern Africa. The experience was beyond all expectations. Because the game reserve was private, they have strict rules about the number of vehicles that could be near an animal. The animals are never fed. They have become habituated to vehicles. It helps that they have been safe from hunting and poaching for several generations.

Can you imagine sitting right next to a resting lion or leopard? Stay in the vehicle, of course! Once you get out, you become part of the food chain. Elephants walk right by you. Giraffes, wild dogs and white rhinos simply go about their lives. Wow.

We went on two 3-hour “drives” per day in a six-seat converted Land Rover. It was open air, so great for taking pictures. We left on our first drive at dawn, 6:30 am. With the 10-hour time zone change, it didn’t feel early because my body could not tell what time it was anyway.

The afternoon drives were from 3:30 pm to 6:30 pm, so the sun was down by the time we headed back to the lodge. They use hand spotlights to find crepuscular and nocturnal animals starting to move about. That is when I saw more rabbits and the little Duiker antelope. Of course, the Southern Cross was out in the sky! No Big Dipper in sight. For me, that was a life first.

Setting the Objective

In the mornings, we would usually see an animal in the first 10 minutes as they’re up and moving, hunting before the heat sends them into their afternoon rest. I loved that the guides have radios and work together to share what tracks they are seeing. Usually, it is lions or leopards that have been on the move. The “tracker” sits on the front of the vehicle, and the guide drives and observes.

The trackers determine from the tracks which way the lion or leopard is heading. Working together, usually one of the trackers would locate the animal. But not always. The tracking can take an hour or more. It is very exciting to go off the dirt and sand road into the brush in pursuit of a cat. This is bushwhacking at its best. Envision dodging brush and bumping through gulleys, even running over small invasive trees, which is considered a good thing.

Once the cat is spotted, the information is relayed and the vehicles are allowed to come to view two at a time (with only one engine allowed to run at a time). We are ignored. Unimportant. I will forever relish getting to see wild animals be themselves, living their lives, even though I am present. Do you know that even wild felines get the “zoomies” in the morning just like domesticated cats?

If the lion or leopard has recently eaten well, they are deeply sleeping, and do not notice we are there. Here is a picture of a young female leopard in deep sleep.

If it is a male guarding his territory, he is focused on prowling his boundaries for scent. Here is a picture of a large male leopard, who stopped to smell for intruders as he walked his boundary line. He simply walked right by our vehicle with no notice.

As you can imagine, all of it is a wonder to see.

The Journey Is Enough

Here is the lesson the guide, Brendan, and I talked about several times. When we leave on a drive, we may be tracking a cat or hoping to see an animal we have not yet encountered. There are two ways of experiencing this. Some people demand to see the lion or giraffe on this drive, or they will feel dissatisfied; if there are tracks, they feel they must find the cat.

A much richer way to approach the experience is to acknowledge that it would be fabulous to see a giraffe or find the cat, and the drive is much more than that. For example, on the way to track a leopard, we found a herd of elephants with babies. The mothers were teaching the little ones how to dig for roots. Such a treat to see!

Or we came to the top of a plateau and saw giraffes watching a pack of wild dogs. I got some amazing pictures there!

By the time we got back to tracking the cat, we had already experienced a spectacular drive.

Can you see how this may be a lesson for life? An intention is inspiring; the journey along the way is the real adventure.

A Lesson for Life: Personal Examples

See if you can find examples of when this has been true for you. Early in my adulthood, I set the goal of moving out of low-paying work to being a professional person. I used education to do that. Along the way, I completely shifted my view of myself and what I can do. I made friends and connections I would not have made otherwise. The vista of possibility before me expanded. Happily, at the end of all that, I did end up a professional manager, richer for the journey.

A more recent example is when I joined a paddling group hoping for a fun way to get some exercise. The true experience is a strong sisterhood and a couple of very close friends. The exercise turned out to be secondary.

Having a sense of purpose provides a mission, a sense of direction. Then, if we are present and aware, marvelous surprises enrich the journey. Thus, the journey becomes as memorable as achieving the objective, sometimes more so. If the objective is not reached, the journey is enough.

At the end of my life, I may not have achieved all that I dreamed of as a youth. And I plan to smile and say, “The journey was enough.”

How About You?

I am curious about what this idea means to you. What unexpected experiences have you enjoyed? Did they play a significant role in your life, or merely pass? Are you ready to be completely satisfied with your journey?