Needle In A Haystack…
It is incredible how seemingly insignificant things can translate into rather significant gems.
I’d like to transport you back to 2012 when some Danish friends from Copenhagen came on safari with me to Makuleke. At the time I wrote an accompanying newsletter called “Alice (and Jakob) in Wonderland”.
As with all these safaris, we spent considerable time on foot, exploring nooks and crannies inaccessible to those preferring to remain in a vehicle. This deliberately slower pace necessitates more time to achieve a vehicular equivalence. The true value of a place is oft reserved for those with a willingness to embrace some personal discomfort and commit more time to a seemingly wasteful endeavour.
Whiling our time in an area just South of a massive seasonal pan along the banks of the Limpopo River revealed a landscape adorned with large stands of Umbrella-thorn Acacia trees, African Mangosteen, Mopani and the occasional Baobab tree. Fresh evidence of buffalo and a single elephant bull added to our experience but what stole the prime highlight for me was happening upon a heavily rusted and conceivably ancient metal spear-head!
A myriad of questions sprung to mind.
How long ago was it forged? Does it date back to the days when the Makuleke peoples lived here pre-1969, does it come from the Zimbabwean community across the Limpopo who still illegally hunt/poach here, or could it actually date back to the Thulamela era of the 13th century? How many animals has it speared? How did it get to be deposited where it lay? Questions probably never to be answered except for the speculative sojourns we can conjure in our imaginations.
Fast-forward to 2019...On a recent walk in Makuleke in the same area, we had a fairly intimate encounter with a small herd of buffalo. Due to circumstances beyond our control the buffalo became aware of our presence at quite some distance. Slowly making an indirect approach, we circled ever closer until we reached the point where ALL eyes and ears were on us...so we stopped.
Standing face-to-face with them for about 10min without either group giving way, was quite special. Eventually we departed leaving them in situ sans any ill effect...perfect!
As we reclined under the shade of an imposing Nyalaberry tree overhanging a drainage-line, I switched on my GPS to see if there was any sign of a spring which I thought might be in the area. Upon closer inspection of the screen I noticed the way-point of the spear-head...and had a thought.
Yes, it was to attempt to relocate the spear-head from 7 years earlier, as I left it where I found it.
After a sufficient siesta, we saddled up and set out on a direct course for the way-point.
All along the way I was trying really hard to dredge my memory for clues regarding our finding of the spear-head, to no avail.
A new set of questions surfaced. Would it be still in the same place? What could possibly have shifted it if it did? Would it be covered over by sand or debris? Was it at a termite-mound or a tree or some significant geographical feature? What are the chances of stumbling upon it again after such a long time?
Before I could come up with another question...the GPS indicated that we have “arrived at destination”! My curiosity competed with anxiety.
With eyes fixed on the screen and manoeuvring until I was supposedly standing on top of the way-point, I finally stopped and switched off the device...now it was time to scan.
I asked the group to disperse and look for the needle in the haystack.
Initial searches proved fruitless and the realisation of the unlikelihood of our expectations being met, started becoming evident.
As with these things, just as we were about to give up, someone shouted “Got it!”
No-one reacted...it was as if we didn’t believe what we heard. However after a second and more urgent “Here it is!” we couldn’t resist scrambling closer.
Lo and behold...there it was...laying out in the open and exposed for all to see...we were dumbstruck.
What was noteworthy for me about this experience was that despite all the wildlife encounters and spectacular sunsets, we all unanimously agreed that rediscovering this small rusted piece of metal was the highlight of the trail.
Marcel Proust said it so well in his famous quote:
“The journey of discovery lies not in the seeking of new horizons, but in seeing with new eyes.”
If we just reframe the perceived value of small seemingly insignificant events, there is a treasure-trove of joy to be experienced!
Yours in awareness