As I begin this blog, my orientation to time is in process. The world in my mind is timeless, but my body tells me otherwise. As I write, I have been physically present and here in my home for 33 hours in the center of Massachusetts on the eastern coast of the United States. It is 9 PM EST, but my body has me somewhere in South Africa where it is 3AM. I am still riding the wave of awe, excitement, wonder, gratitude, and disbelief that I have actually followed through on a dream—going on Safari in Africa—and returned safe and sound. The tooth that cracked a few days before I left because I bit into a cherry pit, did not cause trouble. I was able to walk with and without poles, climb into and out of jeeps, experience the bush and wild animals in their natural habitat (including us humans), get up at 5:30 AM to follow tracks of lions, elephants, leopards, giraffes, zebras, wildebeests, impalas, kudos, sable, wild dogs and more—and happily eat great meals and successfully open the button on my pants to give the extra pounds I gained room so I could eat a little more and taste varieties of food and savor its deliciousness without guilt. I even tried meat of different types, had cocktails overlooking a gorge at Victoria Falls, and while in the bush at the base of our Toyota Land Cruiser at sunset. We chased lions and wild dogs as they hunted for a kill—and observed their strategy, patience, and persistence needed for survival. We saw the warthog they hunted run real fast and hide safely in a hole in an inactive termite hill and appreciated the dance of life and death close up. We returned to our lodge over dirt roads in the dark without incident. We learned to not stand up but blend in with the vehicle so the animals would ignore us and stay away so we could return to the luxury of indoor plumbing and another savory meal.
I was surprised and touched by staff at three of our lodges who were informed by our travel agent that this trip was a celebration of my 80th birthday. These lodges surprised me at our last meal with a birthday cake and candles. The entire staff came out and surrounded our table and joyously danced and sang in the language of their tribe to honor it.
Now that I am back, people have asked me my favorite part, and I respond, “ALL OF IT.” I found letting myself receive this gift of travel and pampering a bit overwhelming—and wonderful. I accepted aid and let myself be pushed in a wheelchair for transit at airports at the end of our trip. I appreciated being met at the airport, escorted through customs, and guided to our lodges. We were also accompanied back to our rooms at night by a guide with a flashlight for protection from a wandering lion or baboon. The warmth, genuine kindness, and caring of people at the lodges, be they guides or service workers. It was almost overwhelming to let myself receive it all.
We capped our bush experience with a stay in Cape Town in South Africa, where we experienced a different dance of survival. The effects of colonization and the disparity between white, black, and colored, the haves and the have-nots screamed out at us. I was really impressed by my South African colleagues at IMISA, the Institute of Mindfulness at South Africa, who, in recognition of this, have been specializing in trauma work and reaching out beyond the privileged white population.
Members of their board, three of whom I met over twenty years ago at a mindfulness conference here in the U.S., took me out to dinner, and we laughed, exchanged ideas, and deepened our connection. I feel very privileged to be part of such a group of this tribe—fellow travelers who live and teach mindfulness and are such compassionate, wise, caring human beings who dedicate their lives to expanding possibilities and being agents of love and healing.
Before I engaged in this trip, I hesitated. It seemed a long and far way to go. Was it OK for me, a “rich American,” to travel to Africa? Could I be responsible and sensitive to the disparities present? I worried about my health, the trauma of illness, and the challenges of traveling with a body that had lived 80 years. What if something happened in the bush? Was I supporting injustice? I still have these questions, but I am glad I went and got to experience the diversity of life and the struggle for survival. I hope to keep asking, what is wise? What is right? What is wrong? What is possible to do, and what is not? How fortunate I am to have questions and experience the wildness, the wonderfulness, and the beauty inherent in life, good, bad, and… just this.
Come explore with me—what’s important now? What do we value, and how are we living our lives? We won’t resolve any questions but can share our common humanity this Thursday, October 5th, at 11 AM EST at the Aging with Wisdom, online group. Lucky us!
Additionally, for those who'd like to deepen their mindfulness practice, I'm offering an online 3-day silent retreat, Mindfulness and Gratitude in Daily Life, October 13-15th with my colleague Colleen Caminisch through the Center for Mindfulness at UMass Memorial. Come and gain experience in the foundations of mindfulness with an emphasis on kindness and gratitude.
To learn more and register, click here. I hope to see you there. It will be an adventure!
Warmly, Elana