Beginning The Journey Home

Today I begin the journey home.

Last night I was one of two guests left at the lodge in an odd lull before holiday season.  A massive rain storm rolled up the Zambezi as I watched from the dry, quiet comfort of the lodge sipping bourbon and reading a book I found on their bookshelves - ‘Africa is not a Country’ by Dipo Faloyin.  A book I would highly recommend despite only digesting 100 pages or so.

My impending departure the following morning was filling me with a contented appreciation for both having a chance to see all I was able to see and meet the people I met over the past two weeks, but also a tiny bit of excitement to be heading home and be done with travel - at least for a week 🙂

This morning I started my day with a 6am boat tour of the Zambezi - just myself and my personal guide for the last 3 days Crawford.   We woke hippos from their slumber in the river bottom to pop up heads and investigate.  We chased crocs back in to the water when we got too close for their comfort.  But mostly it was a quiet serene cruise with the filtered sunlight painting the clouds and the spray from Victoria Falls like smoke signals off in the distance.    An opportunity to sit without specific thought and just be with this mighty river

My cruise was followed by a wonderful deep-tissue massage  overlooking the Zambezi, that will hopefully prepare me for the journey ahead.  Afterwards a quick breakfast and an 11am departure for what will be in total, a 35 hour journey home assuming all goes as scheduled.   From Victoria Falls, Zimbabwe to Johannesburg, South Africa, to Newark, NJ, to Denver, CO my final course is charted and I am underway.

I have barely even begun to integrate all I have seen, heard, felt and even smelled into the greater tapestry of what is me.   These 13 days have been filled with such constant motion there has barely been time.  That process will begin over the next 30-some hours and probably continue for days and weeks after.

What I can say for sure at this point is that I am so thankful I gave myself permission to take this journey.  That I didn’t hem or haw.  That when I felt that initial pull I just went for it.  It has been an experience I know I will never forget.    It has been 13 days of almost continual surprise, excitement and wonder.   It has been a wealth of new experiences, discoveries and friends.   Even the few rough patches brought their own form of awe, self-discovery or humor.    The idea of having gone through this life missing the experiences of the last two weeks is horrifying to me when looking at it from this side of the journey.

So my one bit of advice for any of you that are still following this, if you feel something pulling you - a trip, a career change, a relocation, a connection, a re-connection, or whatever - go for it.  Don’t over-analyze, don’t talk yourself into what’s more secure or responsible or simply paralyze yourself with indecision.    If you feel the pull and you can see a path to making it happen, do it and worry about the rest later.  Some opportunities may not come again.    But I hope they do many times over for all of you.

...and baby warthogs!!