Failure Can Be Beautiful....

This is the mighty Zambezi River, at the point where it spills over  Victoria Falls, located on the border between Zambia and Zimbabwe.  It  is the fourth longest river in Africa, the longest east flowing river in Africa, and the largest flowing into the Indian Ocean from Africa.  

It is here where this story takes place.   While we came to this area mostly to see Victoria Falls, we thought that we might also try our hand at fishing.  Specifically, we came seeking the famous Tigerfish. These fish can get quite large, and as the name suggests they are fierce predators, with extremely large teeth.  They are aggressive and often hunt in packs.  The African Tigerfish is the first freshwater fish recorded and confirmed to attack and catch birds in flight.  Sounds like fun, right?

Well, we are in Africa, where most things around us have big teeth and can eat you, so why not the fish?  And so, with adventure in mind, off we went to catch some fierce fish on the mighty Zambezi River.  We drove down some crazy African backroads until we came to the fishing camp along the river.  Met our guide, went over a few safety instructions, which consisted of the advice to stay out of the river because there are things that can eat you or kill you, and we were off.

We baited out hooks with, ironically, pieces of dead Tigerfish, and threw in our lines.  Along the way down the river we found out that our guide David had a family with two children, one of whom was a recent addition.  

We saw a Giraffe that came down to the waters edge to drink.  No fish....

We spotted an African Fish Eagle who followed us around looking for a free meal....No fish....

Saw several crocodiles...... no fish....

We learned that our guide David loved to watch T.V.  In particular, he informed us that his favorite show was a U.S. show called WWE  (yes the wrestling show).  He said his dream was to go on that show and win the title and become a wealthy wrestler....... He turned to me and said, "People have told me that it's not real, but I don't believe them."  I left that one alone.  Still no fish......

The most  thrilling thing to take place was when we were being chased off by Hippos.  And that, was actually a little scary... they are very territorial and will attack boats.  One guy followed us for quite a while, unhappy that we had wondered too close to his family.  Still no fish...

The sun was starting to go down, and David informed us that we had to go back because we have to be off the water at dark.  And so, with reluctance we began to make our way back to the fish camp.  With an empty boat.  It was a fishing failure.  No mighty Tigerfish stories were going to be told by us.  Bummer.

However, it was from this failed adventure that I took a couple of my most favorite photos of my son.

I didn't even realize that I had these until after we had returned home from our trip and I began to go through the photos.  What we had looked at as a failure of a day instead gave us something beautiful.  Some cool photos of my son doing one of his favorite activities.  I even used one of these photos on his High School Graduation announcement.  So, not a complete failure of a day after all.

Failure in life isn't fun.  I really, really, really hate to fail at something.  And if I am not careful, I can let failure become the sentence that I play over and over again in my head.  But I don't think the point of failure is failure itself.  My husband has a question he asks our son when Keagan tries something and it doesn't work out.  Jeff will always ask Keagan, "Well, that didn't work out, but are you smarter now?"  And the answer is almost always yes.  The lesson here is that failure is only failure if you don't learn something from it.

I recently read an article about the founder of Spanx, Sara Blakely.  She recalls that at dinnertime her father would often ask her the questions, "What have you failed at this week?"  This question taught her not to fear failure, but to instead fear not trying.  She has carried this on over into her workplace by often putting out failures, both her own and her companies, in company wide broadcast emails.  

What would happen if we would all embrace learning from our failures instead of being so scared of failure.  Failure is part of life, whether or not we want to admit it.  We will fail at some point.  It's what you do after the failure that speaks volumes about you.  Are you going to let failure crush you, or are you going to get up, dust yourself off, and learn something?  The choice is yours. It's a choice that will have great impact on your life.

So, my goal for myself, and my challenge to you is to not let fear of failure keep you from trying.  And when you do fail, learn something from it.  Every moment in life can count, don't waste one wallowing, instead, learn something.  Even if what you learn is that catching Tigerfish in Africa is harder than you thought it would be.  So, what did I learn from the failed fishing attempt?  Time spent with my son and husband  is precious.  That there is beauty even in failure.  That the sounds of the birds settling in for the night around the river are calming.  That the water on the river is beautiful, and clam, and healing.  That you never know what people are going to tell you about their life (WWE).  That the sight of a big African sun setting is stunning beyond all description.  That there can be amazing beauty in the midst of failure.  That maybe the point wasn't about fishing success, but more about enjoying the moment, just as it was.

I'll leave you with a few more photos of the sun setting over the Zambezi River.  Enjoy your week, both the successes and failures.  And don't forget to learn something from both.

Beware of Cute Monkeys... Don't let someone steal your joy

This is a Vervet Monkey.  Aren't they cute?  Vervet Monkeys are small animals that weigh around 12 pounds and stand around 16-17 inches tall.  The live in small social groups.  They are curious, agile, and smart.  They are also lightening fast when they want to be.  They are also thieves.  Very quick, very smart, very good thieves.

Every place we visited in Africa had what they call a "monkey policy."  The fact that such a policy is needed should alert you right there that something is up with these animals.  You see, monkeys have opposable thumbs-- which means that anything we can do with our hands, they can do as well-- probably with greater speed and skill than we can.  This means that there is no door handle they can't manage.  There is no sort of latch, bottle top, or container that can keep them out short of lock and key.  Yup, they're cute....

They are also smart.  They have learned that tourists are often distracted and do not watch their food very closely.  One morning, while we were at breakfast these cute, seemingly innocent monkeys, pulled the old "distract them and rob them blind" technique with great skill and success.  At this particular resort, we ate breakfast and lunch outside on a deck that overlooked the valley.  Very pretty and scenic.  Surrounded by bushes and trees and all that nature.  This is where the story begins.  We are all eating, enjoying everything around us, when we began to get the feeling of being watched.  Having had a few run ins with said monkeys, and after having the monkey policy drilled into you by the staff, everyone assumes a type of protective, hunched, huddling formation over their food dishes.  But you see, the monkeys are on to us and they have a plan.  They send in one monkey.  Just one.  But it's the perfect one to send to a bunch of tourists who are there to collect cute and awesome photos of all the African wildlife.  You see, they send in the baby and this is not the youngsters first rodeo.  He calmly walks down the railing, looking cute, and comical,  and innocent, and just overall adorable, pausing every once in a while to make seemingly shy attempts at eye contact.  And then, this adorable baby, does the one thing that promises to get everyone's attention.  He sits, in the perfect, most scenic spot, and poses.  Yup, he's hooked us all.  We all scramble  to grab our cameras and phones and try to walk calmly closer, so as to not scare this poor little youngster off,  desperate to get one last perfect photo.  Thus, leaving our plates full of breakfast and our cups that are brimming with delicious fruit juice unguarded. 

And while we are all fawning over the baby, the rest of the group arrives and proceeds to clean us out.   These monkeys are in stealth mode, no one hears or sees them, until one of the monkeys, in an effort to get every last drop of fruit juice, tips over a glass.  You have to get the picture in your mind as half a dozen camera wielding tourists turned as one towards the  tables full of monkeys-- who by the way-- have all gone terribly still, food and drinks in hand-- waiting to see what the tourists reactions will be.    I believe Keagan broke the silence first with a well timed and loud yell of "Hey!"  And that, my friends, was all that was needed to incite mass chaos.  Faster than one can blink, the monkeys as a whole began to gather up as much food as they could possible carry while scattering away in a multitude of directions.  No one knew where to go first.  One monkey was determined to drink every last drop of juice he could while making his escape.  He ran down the tables, grabbing cups as he ran, quickly tipping them up and gulping greedily until everything was gone.  When the cup was empty, he disdainfully discarded it by throwing as far as he could and moved on to the next available cup in his path, all the while carrying an armful of breakfast pastries in his other hand.  And what happened to that cute baby?  Well, his mission completed, he did one last run over the tables, picking up the spoils that were left, and joined the rest of the group as they fled through the trees and bushes to the tip top, where they could eat the fruits of their labor.

Yup, it was the old bait and switch all right.  We all returned sheepishly to our now ruined tables and began to help the workers "clean up."  All new food was ordered, and we all finally settled in to enjoy the rest of our breakfast.  However, I did notice that no one left their table again until they were finished eating.  Lesson learned.  If you want to eat your food, you had better not let yourself get distracted, or you will lose the joy that comes from having a full tummy.  It took us a while, when we returned from our African trip, to sit outside and eat without hovering over our food plates, all the while eyeballing the trees around us.

Oh, such a funny story.  But there is some truth in there for life as well.  You see, for me, food is a joyful experience.  I love food.  I enjoy the whole process of sitting down and eating a  good meal.  And, because I let myself become distracted, I almost lost out on the joy of that experience that day.   Take the leap with me here as I try to relate this to everyday life.  If we are not careful in our daily lives, we can let distraction steal our joy.  In today's world, we are inundated with information.  I don't know about you, but this whole election has left me with a distaste for the process.  Everyone is out there, flinging stories, lies, truths, and information about their candidates in an overwhelming influx of words, photos, video, etc...  And while I agree that it is important to make an informed decision, there is informed and then there is INFORMED.  Gah!!!!  I have been grumbling this whole time.  And I found myself saying, "There is no joy to be found in this process."  

The more I thought about that statement, the more I was disturbed by it.  It's not that I think elections can or should be a completely joyful experience, but I do think a little gratitude is in order.  Truly, when did I forget to be thankful  for having the  privilege to vote?  There are many places in the world where ordinary citizens have NO say in who runs their government.  There are countries where as woman, I would not even have the right to go out by myself without a male escort.  Yup, our system isn't perfect-- guess what-- no system ran by humans will ever be perfect because we are  flawed. Every. Single. One. Of. Us.  And although I am unhappy with some of what is taking place in this election, I should not let this distraction steal all of my joy and gratitude.

You see, this stealing of our joy may not be obvious at first.  It may walk across our T.V. screen, or computer, or phone... posing as a funny, maybe even cute, maybe not so cute, story about the "other" candidate.  There's nothing harmful in that, is there?  I mean, come on, everyone should be able to laugh at themselves.  The problem is, that once we open up the table for something not too terribly harmful, the table is then open to everything else.  In other words, when you left the table open and unguarded to laugh at the cute little monkey, the rest of the not so cute adults moved in.  And before you know it, you have allowed the group to come in and steal your joy.  And this group of adult monkeys are not going to be content with just robbing you of your joy.  Oh no, they will move from table to table, wherever there is unguarded food to be had, stealing, and knocking stuff over, and generally making a mess of things.  And this is where we are finding ourselves.  As a nation I think we have allowed ourselves to become distracted, and only now are we turning back around to view the mess that is left on the table.

So what should we do?  I think a lesson in guarding your joy is appropriate.  I am trying to walk the line between being informed and distraction.  When I find myself at the point where I am ungrateful, upset, or even mad, I have to stop, and remember that I  have -metaphorically speaking-- left my plate of food unguarded.  That I need to turn away from the distraction and I need to guard my "joy."  

Bear with me and jump back to the monkeys for one minute.  An interesting thing happened after that fateful run in with the monkey's at breakfast.  I should probably explain that breakfast included a "buffet" which was located inside the building.  This meant, that at various times, you had to leave your table unguarded in order to get more food.   Because we were all victims together of the first "food robbery", we had a shared experience that no one wanted to repeat. And so, we all took up the call to help each other out.  When someone left their table to re-load food, one of the other tourists would stand guard.  This ensured that everyone was able to participate in the joyful experience of dining on good food.

So, make one more leap with me, if you will.  Not only should we take responsibility for guarding our own joy, but we should help others in this process as well.  What does this look like?  Well, for example, in this election process, we could start by talking respectfully about the process.  We could be respectful of everyone we come into contact with, even if we don't agree politically.  We are all experiencing the "mess of the table" together even if we are not partaking in the same types of food.  Take it upon yourself to be the guardian of others joy, rather than the distraction or stealer of it. You don't have to agree with them, but you don't have to be harsh about it. The last thing you can do is to remember to be grateful.  Be grateful that you even get to pull up a chair at the table.  Be grateful that you get to choose what food to order.  And always keep in mind that in the end, we will all be left with a huge mess to clean up if we let ourselves became distracted and leave our table unguarded.

I'll leave you with a few more photos of the cutest little thieves you have ever laid eyes on.  I'll also leave you with a few photos of the troop of Chacma Baboons we visited, well, because you all probably know the joke about Baboons and congress.  However, I do have to say that the Baboons freaked me out a bit.  They were in the midst of a very BIG, very LOUD, very ANGRY, and very rough dispute when we were around them.  There was a lot of barking and biting going on.  I found myself sitting very still in our open air vehicle, softly hoping that they didn't mistake me for one of the troop members who had made them so very agitated.  They are much bigger animals-- weighing up to 80 pounds and measuring around 47 inches tall.  They also have very big teeth which they were putting on display.

The Vervets near Victoria Falls know that every night people gather to watch the sunset over the Zambezi River and enjoy snacks and cocktails known as Sundowners.  The rascals lie in wait for some tourist to lift up their camera to take a photo, thus taking an eye off of their food and drinks.  Notice the small piece of fruit in her hand?

They also have developed a taste for the sweet sundowners that are served.  They can drink them at an impressive rate of speed.

As I said, that Baboon troop was busy running throughout the trees fighting when we were there.  Apparently Baboons are good at fighting and one other habit-- neither of which makes for good or easy photography.  Thus the lack of photos.

You would be sitting there, eating, and feel something staring at you.  But, when you would look over at them they would look away, acting as if they were not just ogling your food plate.

Everybody Look left... Everybody Look Right...Meerkat Life Lessons

The animal in the photo above is a Meerkat (or Suricat).  They dwell mostly in the dry and arid places of the Southern part of Africa.  Meerkats are a member of the Mongoose family and they live in underground colonies with 20- 50 members per clan.  

We traveled specifically to Tswalu Kalahari because of my desire to see these little critters.  These animals are known for being pretty skittish (you would be too, if you were surrounded by creatures that considered you to be food), and Tswalu is one place where  you can get close to them because they are habitualized.  This means simply that they have become accustomed to seeing humans and don't view them as a threat. Tswalu is one of the few places where researchers spend time with the Meerkats on a daily basis, thus the habitualization.  

As you can see, they were unfazed by Jeff laying right smack dab in the middle of them.

And so, this is where we found ourselves on a cool, South African winter's morning, sitting amongst a colony of Meerkats while they sunned themselves, trying to warm up after the cool evening, before they ventured out to forage food for the day. Because of their small size, they are prey to several animals, most of all, birds of prey.  And so the meerkats have developed a system where  a few of the clan members take on the Sentry role, looking out for danger, while the rest of the clan members go about their business.  These sentries sit up on their hind legs and constantly scan the sky and landscape for danger.  And as they turn and look, they make soft little chirruping noises that let other members know that all is well,  everyone is safe.  If danger is spotted they will make a loud and sharp alarm call.  This cooperative effort helps keep the clan safe.  Sentry duty lasts about one hour, and then another member of the clan takes over so that everyone has a chance to forage or sun themselves, or rest.

I can't even begin to describe how fun it was to sit with them that morning.  I, however,  did notice something funny that happened while I sat there.  Of course, I'm there taking multiple photos, watching and observing the Meerkats as they begin to wake up and warm up.  But, without really noticing what I was doing, I found myself following the movement of the sentries that were nearby.  When they looked left, I found myself looking left, scanning the horizon.  When they looked right, I once again found myself scanning the horizon to the right.  I finally caught myself, when they looked up and I did so as well.   It took the Meerkats all of about an hours time to turn me into a Meerkat sentry.  I had stopped taking photos and had instead adopted the scanning method that they were using to spot possible danger.  Too funny.

Eventually, the Meerkats were warmed up and ready to head off for the days foraging activities, and so, with reluctance, we left them to it.  I will admit I wanted to see the Meerkats because they are almost comically cute.  But, having sat with them in their environment, where danger abounds, I left with a sense of respect for this small animal.  Despite their circumstances, the Meerkats are thriving in  a harsh environment. 

"If you want to go quickly, go alone.  If you want to go far, go together."  African Proverb

I think there are lessons to be learned in this world, even from a clan of Meerkats.  So, here are life lessons I learned that day, from just observing a clan of very cute, but successful Meerkats.

1.  Everyone takes a turn.  Everyone takes a turn at being the sentry.  Think about it.  The sentry position is important, but probably isn't nearly as fun as foraging for food, or resting, or playing.  The Sentry position requires a lot of work.  It contains within it a lot of responsibility.  A job well done results in life, a poor job can result in death.  But everyone takes a turn.  Everyone steps up to the plate.  

2.  Communication is important.  The Meerkats have a pretty intricate system of chirrups, growls and calls that they use to communicate with each other.  They have a specific warning call that indicates a predator is overhead.  And they emit a different call when a predator is on the ground.  Why?  Because the tactics needed to deal with an overhead predator are vastly different than the tactics needed to avoid a predator who is on the ground.  Also, these calls need to ring loud and clear, because when the clan is foraging, they often spread out over the area, and there isn't time for the sentries to go to each individual group member to tell them what is going on.  It is equally important that the clan members who are not on Sentry duty keep one ear open to hear what the sentries are communicating.  In other words, they need to listen to each other.

3.  Knowledge needs to be shared.  Older Meerkats have built up a certain amount of tolerance to a few types of venom.  The most notable venom immunity is to a particular type of scorpion.  The theory exists that they have built up this immunity over time due to regularly consuming scorpions as part of their diet.  However, new pups don't yet have this immunity.  Therefore, the adults in the clan will teach the pups how to safely remove the stingers from the scorpion before consuming them.  Without this knowledge, a pup can be mortally stung.  The adults teach the pups how to recognize danger, what to do when danger comes, how and where to find food and so on....  And, it is important to note that in order for the pups survival, they must be willing to learn these skills from those who are older.

4. Cooperation.  Together we are better.  The answer to the Meerkats success lies in their cooperative behavior.  Everyone plays a role in guarding the clan.  Everyone takes a turn at sentry duty, so that everyone has an opportunity to eat, rest, and play.  When the clan leaves the colony to forage, the sentries go out first, and find a high place from which they can observe where they are going.  When the sentries are in position, and feel like it is safe, they call to the rest of the clan, who then all come running forward and begin to forage.  Safety isn't an individual thing, it's a clan thing.  They  all participate in feeding and caring for the young.  All the members make sure to pass on their knowledge to the youngsters.  When hunting larger prey items, the clan hunt cooperatively together, thus ensuring a greater measure of success for all.  Cooperation is essential in Meerkat life.

So this week, lets all take a moment to learn some important life lessons from a clan of Meerkats. Let's look for opportunities to take our turn. Let's communicate in effective and meaningful ways. Let's share our knowledge and be willing to learn from others. And finally, let's cooperate with those around us so that we all may benefit.  I'm praying that you have a fantastic and successful week!

I'll leave you with a few more Meerkat photos.  They really are kind of cute.

The influence of a Grain of Sand...

The  Kalahari desert is an incredible, vast,  semi-arid desert that stretches through Botswana, Namibia and parts of South Africa.  It covers over 360,000 square miles of the southern part of the African Continent.  The Kalahari sand dunes compose the largest continuous expanse of sand on earth.  It is the  second biggest desert in African (the Sahara, of course, is the biggest). It is a semi-arid desert, meaning portions of the Kalahari region receive an average rainfall of 75-250mm a year, greater than the minimum requirements for a true desert. This makes the vegetation thicker in some areas. The western portion of the Kalahari that lie within Namibia contain enormous sand dunes and is very dry.  As you travel farther eastward into the Kalahari, it becomes more of what they call the "green Kalahari" ( i.e. it contains more vegetation).

Somewhere, in some of my readings early in life (probably National Geographic) I had read about this desert and was enraptured.  I have always wanted to go visit this amazing place.  And last year, I was lucky enough to be able to see that dream fulfilled.  We visited two different sections, The Okavango Delta in Botswana and a place called Tswalu in South Africa.  In Botswana, we visited the very wet portion of the Kalahari where the river drained into the desert.  Tswalu, however, was vastly different.

Tswalu is nestled at the foot of the Korannaberg Mountian range in the western part of South Africa, not far from the border of Namibia.  The topography is diverse, with a backdrop of the Korannaberg mountains, along with vast open savannah's.  However, it was the red rolling sand dunes that made the landscape so visually stunning!  The iron oxide contained within these sands give them their brilliant burnt red color.  These sands lay in beautiful contrast to the green of the camel thorn trees and the bright golden lights of the savannah grasses.  This place is truly one of the most magnificently alluring places I have ever been.

I began to observe that while the red sand covered the dunes and part of the savannah's, it did not cover the mountainsides.  So I asked our guide why the soil in the mountains wasn't red, and here is her answer.  The red sands were not native to this part of the Kalahari, they had been blown in by vast winds from Namibia.  and as more and more sand blew in throughout the years, they formed the rolling sand dunes at the foot of the mountains.

And this brings me to my title... The Influence of a Grain of Sand.  It is interesting to think about.  One tiny red grain of sand  wouldn't be enough to turn these vast Savannah's red.  But, combine one tiny red grain of sand with another, and yet another, and yet another... and they begin to influence the habitat around them, turning a once brown landscape red.

Now we can compare ourselves to these grains of sand.  As one single, solitary person, our grain of sand will have a limited influence on the landscape around us.  Listen, the limitation of that influence doesn't mean that you don't have any influence at all, just know that there is a limit to what one person can do on their own.  But just stop and think, for a moment, about the influence multiple grains of sand can have when combined together.  When this happens, the whole landscape starts to change.   But it all starts with a grain of sand, willing to be blown into the landscape, and daring to be different than the other grains of soil surrounding it.

The thing about influence is that it can be positive or negative.  There is a reason that the Kalahari sand dunes in Namibia are fairly devoid of vegetation.  The sand there contains very little nutrients.  The sands do not retain water.  The sand shifts with the wind, smothering items beneath it.  The sands in Namibia basically overwhelm much of the vegetation, smothering out opportunities for growth.

However, the sand that has blown into the Tswalu area has done something different.  It has mingled with the rich soil that was already there.  It has not overwhelmed everything in it's path, instead it has contributed to the beauty of the place.  It has enriched the environment by adding the mineral, iron oxide.  You see, the chemical Iron Oxide purifies water, a resource vital for growth in any living thing. This has allowed vegetation to grow in this semi-arid area, vast amounts of it, providing food and shelter for the diverse wildlife that call this habitat home.

And so, here's the point of all this.  We were meant to have influence over our landscape.  But we need to make sure that we are having the right kind of influence.  The kind of influence that brings beauty, life, and growth to our section of space, not the type that smothers all growth around us until we are surrounded by a dead arid desert.  Not surprisingly, the Bible actually has a lot to say about how we should influence those around us.  Some of what it says might surprise you. Here are just a few of the scriptures:

"Respect the authorities, whatever their level;  they are God's emissaries for keeping order.  It is God's will that by doing good, you might cure the ignorance of the fools  who think you're a danger to society.  Exercise your freedom by serving God, not by breaking the rules.  Treat everyone you meet with dignity.  Love your spiritual family.  Revere God.  Respect the government."  I Peter 2:13-17 the message

"Real wisdom, God's wisdom, begins with a holy life and is characterized by getting along with others.  It is gentle and reasonable, overflowing with mercy and blessings, not hot one day and cold the next, not two-faced.  You can develop a healthy, robust community that lives right with God and enjoy its results only if you do the hard work of getting along with each other, treating each other with dignity and honor."  James 3:17-18 the message

"Refuse to get involved in inane discussions;  they always end up in fights.  God's servants must not be argumentative, but a gentle listener and a teacher who keeps cool, working firmly but patiently with those who refuse to obey.  You never know how or when God might sober them up with a change of heart and a turning to the truth."  2 Timothy 2:23-25  the message

"Warn them before God against pious nitpicking, which chips away at the faith.  It just wears everyone out.  Concentrate on doing your best for God, work you won't be ashamed of, laying out the truth plain and simple."  2 Timothy 2:14-15 the message

So, our challenge, and in today's environment I admit it is a big challenge, is what kind of influence are we going to have on our landscape?    Are we going to be an influence that brings clean water, growth, and life?  Or are we going leave behind a barren arid landscape, devoid of life, without difference-- each sand dune looking much like the next. Pretty to look at in some types of light, but barren.

I'll leave you with a few more photos of the stunning Green Kalahari.....

The sand turns the white tail feathers of the Ostrich red

Amazing Aardvark

Sable Antelope

Blue Wildebeest

Gemsbok

Zebra

Warthog

Giraffe

African Wild Dog

Male Kudu

Young Kalahari Lion Cub

Sociable Weaver's colony