It seems right that human beings should live in the nomad fashion, and un-natural to have ones home always in the same place; one only feels really free when one can go in whatever direction one pleases over the plains, go to the river at sundown and pitching ones camp with the knowledge that one can fall asleep beneath other trees, with another view before one the next night"
- Karen Blixen (of 'Out of Africa' fame)
Do these words give you a champagne feeling? I have to confess that I felt my heart gasp when I read them outside Karen Blixen's house the other day. But what is it about this Safari life quote that makes 'ones' heart skip? (by the way, have you ever read a quote with so many 'ones' in it?).
Is it the idea of not being tied down, or of being able to flee from our tawdry, domestic worries? Or the thought of retrieving a youthful, maverick life without a care in the world?
We are coached all our lives to work towards the ideal of owning our own home, champing towards a hard-fought goal where we will discover happiness and security. 'Work hard, get a secure job, save like billy-oh to get your own bricks and mortar, then settle down and enjoy your bliss'....really? Is that what it's all about? ...life I mean?
I'll confess that I've never before entertained the thought of 'living in a nomad fashion'. Up 'til now I've been a bricks'n'mortar gal myself, but a still small wind is making me think about what a safari life could mean.
I'm talking about a 'safari life' of a different kind (just in case you've lost me). One that has nothing to do with bumpy jeeps or scorched savannah grasslands. Where there's not the slightest whiff of rhino dung or sexy game drives. But rather the kind of safari life that say, 'Yes, to uncertainly' and 'Yes, to the thrill of the ride' and 'Yes, I wouldn't miss a second of this crazy drama that brings with it a potent mix of passion and pain'.
I'm challenged to reflect on where I'm headed? ...Hammering on towards accruing life's comforts and storing up trinkets for my old age, or is the safari life calling? I'm sure it's not simply a choice between one or the other; not cosy cottage v life on the open road.
.....what I do know is that if a safari life leads to a life full of heartfelt gratitude then that's the life for me and champagne bubbles would be an added bonus.
JB
