So how did I get so lucky? Well, let me reveal a few lessons I learnt while on a simple bush drive around Pilansberg National Park.
Who knew looking for animals would reveal life lessons, human nature observations on top of seeing animal species. Whether you're about to go on a self-drive excursion around a wildlife reserve or not, these lessons apply to both life in general (humanity) and actual ways to improve your driving experience if in a game park.
Lesson 1: Fast drivers, like humans on the busy rat race of life, miss out on smaller sighting opportunities and experiences. Going slow, whether in a game drive or in life, allows you to see and appreciate smaller things, experience smaller, or though not less significant things. Sometimes slowing down to a halt always results in good things coming to those who wait.
Lesson 2: Watching an interaction between a tortoise and a mother warthog captivated us for some time, while other drivers noticed and immediately drove on, or drove passed completely in search of bigger, more popular game. This experience was amazing, truly. The lesson here is to not race for the big things in life, everything is significant and deserves your offering, offering equal rewards but in different forms.
Lesson 3: Seeing many birds of the same species makes them a common sighting. However, a common sighting, just like a common experience, does not mean that the experience or subject is any less significant. Whether irregular or regular, significance must be awarded every time.
Lesson 4: A leopard approached our vehicle. Walked closely by the vehicle, around the vehicle, never reacted to us reversing next to it to get a better view and never once giving us attention or showing signs of danger. Calm, just pure calm. The complete opposite behaviour then showcased on media or sign boards. While some animals may be dangerous, it was amazing to see that everything warning us about this leopard or predators was wrong. Animals are not dangerous, they are actually calm and peaceful when not provoked. Don't believe the horror stories or danger warnings surround animals. Leave them unprovoked and they won't react negatively to you. Humans are the dangerous ones. Maybe we can learn how to react and how to behave by simply viewing so-called dangerous animals.
Lesson 5: Don't leave 'the game' too early. We were going to leave the park early - due to concern over the time of day and other work tasks we had to get to - but we didn't. And in five minutes of deciding to make the most of the game drive experience, we were rewarded by a rare leopard sighting and other animals we wanted to see appearing. Lesson here is to enjoy the experience, be in the moment, focus your mind on the current situation and don't let other mental concerns drag you out of a rewarding, enjoyable physical experience.
Lesson 6: While viewing the leopard, a game drive vehicle appeared with tourists. Instantly all we could see was a flurry of pictures being taken, tablets being held out of the large game drive vehicle and technology taking over the human eye and real life viewing. The difference between the calmness of the leopard and the busyness of the tourists taking pictures was so clear and interesting to see. Lesson here is get off your phone or camera in life and see things with your own eyes. Be calm like the subject or situation and absorb it in, then reach for the camera or cellphone.
Lesson 7: Set you intentions before entering a situation or project or experience. We had set our intentions of what we wanted to see before entering the game park and every one of our intentions were ticked. We sought to also find out if in fact the game park has big cats and predators, questioning it the whole time we were in the park and lo and behold, the leopard appeared just before we were about to start on our drive to the exit. This can be applied in life - set intentions and they come to light.
Lesson 8: Take a different path, an untouched path, an uncommon road. While other drivers stuck to the common roads, we ventured far and beyond to dirt roads not populated by the tourists or the Big Five stalkers. And in taking these unexplored, quiet, longer paths, we were blessed by the sightings of five rhinos. Yes - five rhinos - a rare sighting. So in life, take roads less travelled and you might find that the rewards are bigger and better.
Lesson 9: Bird watching is fun. I'm learning, thanks to my bird fanatic husband, to love birds and bird watching. Seriously, birds are amazing and seeking them is so much fun and ever so interesting. While other drivers never stopped to greet the melodic sounds of birds or greet their eyes by viewing their beauty - and often were seen bored thanks to the invisibility of larger animals on the roads - we were thrilled most of the time with a plethora of birds always waiting to be viewed and watched. Lesson here, when what you perceive or view in life becomes boring, or you can't see the bigger blessings, look for the smaller wonders and learn how to enjoy them in all their abundance.
Lesson 10: A day off, especially in nature, is a wonderful solution to a busy mind, a stressful outlook or a busy life. It's sometimes all you need to get out of your head, reboot and gain stillness and rejuvenation to move forward and continue conquering your life, your world.
