Escape! The very word spells adventure and freedom..
I used to think escape meant packing my gear and driving out into the wilds to find new roads to travel. new places to find. new faces to meet.
And I did. Had a wonderful time doing it and still hope for some more of that.
I’ve pitched my tent on the soft sandy beach of Maziba Bay, upper Zambezi, far from the maddening crowd.
Even stopped for a few snorts at the beautiful – and deserted – pub at Puku Pan
Met many strangers with their own stories; men and women who continue to inspire me.
And every time I took the road less travelled to come back home
Because I found that escaping doesn’t mean you have to go somewhere. It’s much more difficult than that. ‘Escape’ means finding yourself; and that can be quite a journey… Freedom is, after all not somewhere else. It’s inside every one us. And that, I believe, is the ultimate escape.
Take, for instance, the miracle of a plover’s nest. Exposed and completely out in the open, these birds simply line a hollow with a layer of grass and survive under the harshest conditions. Two birds. One egg. No protection. They should have been extinct centuries ago – but they aren’t. Don’t let the odds tell you something is impossible. Be brave enough to follow your heart.
A few yards away, the stunted and withered skeletal remains of a once-green shrub tells the world: “I’m dead. I’m dry. You won’t find nourishment here, animals. Go somewhere else.” Why? Because after a few drops of rain, it’ll produce green leaves once more. Lesson: never give up hope.
But look carefully around you. There is beauty hidden in the apparently dead landscape. Despite the conditions, Nature never loses her sense of joy. Whatever your circumstances, something good is hiding in there, somewhere. Not easy to spot with tear-filled eyes, at all – but still…never stop looking for beauty.
From a higher position – above the ground level of daily toil – one may see danger lurking with greater ease. Don’t crawl ahead with downcast eyes; walk tall and proud…and cautiously.
And yes – our explorer’s last message: never give up on your dreams. Don’t rush. One step at a time is enough.
