Liking what you have
I’ll admit there are times (like when I’m longing for my mom or great Mexican food) when I miss the U.S., but this week wasn’t one of those times. My husband, two kids and some friends spent five days in the South African bush, at a place I think everyone in the world should have a chance to experience.
Me and some buffalo - they may look docile, but they're considered the most dangerous and unpredictable animals in Africa
At Bateleur Eco Safaris in the Timbavati, bordering the Kruger Park (but with no fence in between), we had no electricity or cell phone reception but we did have:
- Close encounters with lions, elephants, rhinos, Cape buffalo, a honey badger, kudu, impala, hornbills and hundreds of other birds, mammals, reptiles and other species too numerous to mention (or, ahem, remember)
- Lots of peace, if not lots of quiet—there is almost always something walking, crawling or flying by or snorting or roaring or calling… it’s divine
- Lessons in bushcraft, or how to survive in the wild - how to start a fire with a piece of wood, a stick and some elephant dung; how to dig a ‘bush oven’ and bake some bread in it; how to make rope out of plants, then use it to make a snare and catch a Franklin (“tastes like chicken”); how to make pottery out of clay, river sand and buffalo dung; how to track game; how to find due south using the Southern Cross stars; and more.
- Hot showers (heated by wood fire) under the stars, delicious food thanks to Elizabeth and her crew, dinner on the dry riverbed, comfortable beds—despite being in the wild, it was luxurious.
I’m a firm believer that part of the key to happiness is in wanting what you have—as opposed to having, or seeking, what you want. This week it was easy to want what I had.
Martha Beck has been taking groups into the bush near Bateleur for years, conducting what she calls STARs, or Self-Transformation Adventure Retreats. On her website, she describes the STARs this way: “This event is an amazing opportunity to re-awaken your essential self. The connection to nature, to the birthplace of the human species, and to the incredible array of wildlife, seems to open a direct conduit to what’s most elemental in each human.” I couldn’t agree more.
Martha recently announced an intention to train other coaches to lead STAR retreats, and I look forward to doing it myself one of these days. I’ll keep you posted!