The animals pictured above are Wildebeests. More specifically, they are Blue Wildebeests. They form large herds, and in many places in Africa they participate in a mass migration twice a year. They can reach speeds up to 50 miles an hour and run together in a herd, with the young running in the middle for protection. They are a wild looking animal.
While at Tswalu in South Africa, this herd would run past our hut everyday on their way to the watering hole located at the lodge. You could always hear them before you could see them, because when they were running for the water, they would begin to grunt loudly. The grunt they make sounds sort of like they are say "gahnuuuuu", which is where they probably got their other name from, which is Gnu. And I noticed that when they were close to a water source, they always, always, began to run in ernest. They never walked into the watering hole. They were always at a run, kicking up a dust cloud in their wake, all the while fussing and calling to each other, urging the herd on, faster and faster.
I noticed that none of the other herds or groups of animals did that. All the rest would come in quietly, almost sneaking their way in, cautious, careful, and ever watchful when they were coming in for a drink. Not the Wildebeest. They announced their arrival.
What was funny, was that even though they had run right past me on their way to the water, they had absolutely no clue I was there, until the dust they had stirred up made me sneeze. You can see from the photo's above the moment they became aware that I was there observing them. I sneezed and every eyeball turned to focus on me. They had been so focused on their thirst, on their rush to get water, that they had run right past me without even noticing I was there. It's a good thing that the only thing I was hunting them with was my camera, or their lack of caution could have proved deadly for one or more of them. In fact, this is often when predators attack, while the herd is distracted.
And here I am going to make the jump from Africa to the current day, time, and year. It is the first of December, and many of us, like the Wildebeest running for water, are rushing frantically towards the holidays. We are loudly calling out, kicking up our own form of a dust cloud, as we run towards Christmas day. Let me be clear, I enjoy this run towards Christmas. The energy in the air is contagious and fun. The activities and events and festivities are wonderful.
In this season, enjoy the running, the rushing, the events, and the crazy schedules. But don't rush past and forget that the true reason for all these celebrations is that you are deeply, amazingly, wildly loved by God. You were loved so much, that even before you were even born, He put into place a plan on how to show you His great love for you. Don't allow yourself to be so distracted that you miss this point entirely.
I'll leave you with a few more Wildebeest photo's. They are truly a crazy looking animal. What was interesting, for all their vocalizing and noise when they were running towards the water, once they drank their fill, they would quietly and calmly walk away to find a place to rest.
No comments:
Post a Comment