The Log…

They’re coming closer!

What do we do?

Where do we go?

Marius?!

The angst amongst our group was palpable as we were being approached by a herd of eles scattered throughout the Fever-tree Forest in Makuleke. Sitting on a pushed-over fever-tree, we waited and watched…

Deliberately drawing out the pause, I aimed at making the emotion vividly heavy for all to bear. Embracing, rather that avoiding uncomfortable feelings can yield powerful illusion-dispelling awarenesses.

When it was clear that everyone started scanning for their own escape-route, I calmly said “If they get too close, we’ll just step over the log which should be visual barrier enough to diffuse the situation”…this had the desired effect of settling the nerves a bit.

The eles never came close to us and unknowingly skirted around us, close enough to make their presence felt, but far enough for comfort.

Keith, staring after the eles fading into the fairytale forest, with a very slow and deliberate cadence, repeated the phrase “Just step over the log”…

Concerned that maybe he had lost the plot, I looked at him and saw that he was thinking very deeply. He then turned to us and voiced his takeaway from this particular experience.

“When we are faced with perceived threats in our lives, instead of panicking/stressing and running for the hills, all we have to do is something as minimal as just stepping over the log. In this case (as is in most), the actuality of these threats hardly ever resembles that which was mentally conjured.”

With this incredibly poignant awareness, we rose to our feet and strode in silence back to camp. 

Yours in stepping over the log,