Z is for Zebra
- A is for Acknowledgment
- B is for Beneficient
- C is for Choice
- D is for Duh!
- E is for Efficient
- F is for Fail
- G is for Generosity
- H is for Health
- I is for Indecision
- J is for Jealousy
- K is for Kin
- L is for Likoma
- M is for Momentum
- N is for Naive
- O is for Overwhelmed
- P is for Proverb
- Q is for Quick
- R is for Respect
- S is for Smile
- T is for Trust
- U is for Useful
- V is for Virus
- W is for Whisper
- X is for Xanadu
- Y is for Yellow
- Z is for Zebra
- A to Z Wrap Up
I write quite a bit about remembering the past and not letting it slip away into the quicksand that is my brain. But at least as important as the past is the future.
We did a safari in Tanzania at the beginning of our world trip and it was quite a start to the adventure. In fact, it was the start of a new chapter of life. Not a chapter, but a tome. The purity and innocence of safari will start a new chapter in your life–if you allow it to. If you can slow down to the tomorrow, tomorrow mentality, the red dirt settle into your skin and the midnight stars soak into the back of your eyes, you’ll take home a little of the beauty of Africa. So much of what I experienced on safari references our human life. Lions rule the savannah, Dik Diks bounce around scared and paranoid, and basic resources are scarce. It’s just like the big city, but with more dust.
Don’t live your life in the past–or the future.
I don’t want to dwell on the “life we had.” At the same time, I don’t want to only dream about the “life we’ll have.” But you can reminisce and you can dream.
I also want to bring my kids through some of the adventures we experienced. Especially while their little minds are so malleable and … they still want to hang out with us. I want to be silent in the back of a Land Rover waiting for a lion to make a move on a zebra. I want to wait at a bus station only to find out that the next bus might come tomorrow. Might.
But I need to be cautious that I don’t try to relive the experiences I had. I need to be open to new ones and just let them be, let them happen as they were meant to happen. I need to not be that guy who starts off every new scene with, “Well, when I was here … ” It won’t be about way back when or next time. It’ll be about this time, the present. Who knows what it will be. Who cares. But we need to go. My kids need to see a zebra. He might get away from the lion. But he might not. We won’t know until we get there.
If there’s one thing I’m not going to let my kids not do, it’s a safari. [Ngorongoro Crater, Tanzania]
 
Who knew that a zebra post could be so profound. Nicely done! And congrats on finishing the A-Z challenge!
Congrats to you, too, Dee! Looking forward to seeing what we’re all up to next.
What an adventure we have had Bradley… Savannahs and cities are the same – I wish you many now moments that make memories and create dreams… Congratulations on completing the challenge – there’s a May one that starts today… LOL
Congratulations to you, too, Ida. I have to thank you as you Raised the Bar on the A to Z Challenge and brought us all with you to that higher level. So what’s next with you?
I’m not sure I know what bar you refer to, but if I helped to lift some spirits than I’m happy. I’m linking my Z is for Zephyr and Reflecting on the A to Z 2013 Blogging challenge
posts, to answer your question, because there’s links to another challenge plus you get a mention and I’ll be up to quite a bit. I’ll be around, checking you out and doing my thing. Thanks for everything 🙂
Lifting spirits, raising the bar, it’s all helpful. Whew, another challenge!? I need a different May Challenge and I need to focus on that WordPress help site I pointed you to.
I should have probably linked this post too – if you want to know more about the May challenge.
Whoa, some provocative questions in there! Next time …
That’s WordPress help site is a winner, I know I have problems with WordPress that keep me from transitioning, like it deciding where my line breaks etc are… which are so time consuming to fix… as a far as the May challenge goes, I haven’t even read all the prompts yet and won’t even get close to doing them all, but I’m happy to support it.
Congrats on finishing the challenge! You have some lucky kids!
Thank you! You too. I hope they think they’re lucky. They’ll probably think we’re dragging them again somewhere else. 🙂