One of the best experiences I have had during my early 30s, was white water rafting on the Zambezi River in Africa. My husband, friend and I were on a road trip to discover Zambia, Zimbabwe and Botswana in December 2003. It was an amazing road trip and we had so much fun going on Safaris in our own car, camping and rafting on a crocodile, fresh water shark infested waters with a 14 year old Zimbabwean young boy who had done it 3 times before.
Imagine: walking down a steep rocky hill; jumping into a raft; thrown 5 times into the water; chipping your front tooth on your husband's elbow; nearly drowning underneath the raft at one of the dangerous rapids; swimming in a river with a crocodile on the bank closest to you and then at the end of it all, climbing a steep mountain on wooden planks. Imagine at the end of it all, while you are sitting in the back of a truck that would take you home, replaying everything that you did that day in your mind.. thinking to yourself that you would do it all over again.
Something about that river does not like me... LOL... Remember my post, Life is Short, Embrace it . Even after I saw my life slip away from me from underneath that orange raft, I thought it was thrilling, an adrenaline rush... an adventure and I would do it over and over again if given the chance.
Life is amazing that way... no matter what is thrown at us or in our faces, we tend to push through and bounce right back up again. There is a will to live deep down inside each one of us even when we might think that there was no way for us to ever want to continue. Something continues to push us to get up and out of bed even when we struggle to open our eyes.
Maybe, it is the kids... maybe it is our jobs, our parents... maybe it is just something intrinsic... I don't know...but what I do know is that even though we might think we are not going to make it, we do in the end... Even though we might be facing a difficult situation, something inside of us helps us to continue living. Even though we might think that we would not do something adventurous again because we might die or struggle with pain or anguish, there is something inside of us that keeps pushing us forward... keeps wanting more of that same drug... adventure... life!
It is like going through labor the first time, not wanting to go through it again and then the mother forgets the pain as soon as her precious baby is born and she is ready to go through the whole episode again for another miracle... another adventure...
Life is precious... life is amazing... every life or moment we come across... every memorable experience, every living soul we brush up against or pass by on our life's journey touches us in some way and that is why we find it difficult to let go of these moments... these lives... these adventures... and it is difficult not to want them to happen to us over and over again.... difficult not to want to hold on to these precious lives or adventures that we cherish and have made an impact on our lives...
I believe that all we have to do is have faith that everything will happen in good time... have faith that the universe is looking after us and will send us anything when it is the right time for us.... have faith that whatever difficult situation we are facing will take time to be resolved and for us to heal but that it will become less painful by the day... We need to have faith that we are survivors.... have faith that our mind, body and soul are stronger than we might be led to believe either by ourselves or by others.
We are survivors!
2 comments:
Lana! This post is so terrific on so many levels. Of course, your African adventure thrilled me and reminded of the days when I still lived in the bush and not in the city(a big loss to my soul, which hungers for the peace of the African veldt) (and the stories I could tell you!)
But what struck the biggest chord was when you said no matter what happens somehow we survive - and it's faith that brings us through. I don't care what form or shape a person's faith takes, what's important in today's world (where there is so much negative news and evil deeds) is that we do believe that - against all odds - that we will survive...and that, no matter what the experience, we will survive as better people.
Maybe I'm a naive optimist -but how can I not be when I live in the most miraculous country in the world. South Africa is a strongly faithful country - we have Christians, Muslims, Jews, Buddhists, Hindus, everyone - living and practising their faiths. And look what we have survived...somehow no matter how bad things get here, there is something, something unknowable, that pulls us throw and puts us back on the right path. I'll never forget the sight of Nelson Mandela's inauguration in 1994: white and black, Christian,Jewish and Muslims leaders, enemies and friends, rich and poor, were all on that stage when Tata Nelson spoke. And, despite our ongoing problems, somehow we always stumble through the darkness and into the light.
So, yes, the universe does look after us, even when we think we are lost. Yes, we are stronger than we are led to believe. And, yes, we will survive.
Judy, South Africa
Awesome comment... and a wonderful addition to my post... thank you Judy... I too believe that South Africa is an amazing nation... hence my post Invictus... I believe everyone and every nation can achieve the greatness of South Africa if only they shed the walls that surround them and the chains that bind them. Thank you my dear Judy for such a great comment...
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