A Dream I Did Not Know to Dream
A Dream I Did
Not Know to Dream
On my first day in South Africa, a herd of wild elephants comes to surround us. I know the danger. And still, I feel no fear.
It is love at first sight on my first day in South Africa.
An incredible South African safari, and somehow it feels like the perfect first date. Designed so carefully, just for me and my friend Tess, by the best guide we could have asked for. Joel.
Our day begins with Joel's warmth as he picks us up from our hotel. He has coffee and biscuits ready for us, and we take in the view of the wild from the top of a hill. He finds a safe stretch of land so I can do my safari mile, letting Tess and me fully take in the wonder around us.
Joel prepares a safari picnic with homemade grits, made right there in front of us. My favorite. He grills a beautiful lunch full of authentic flavor and shares traditional African recipes as he cooks. History, wildlife, the land itself. He knows everything about this remarkable place.
When the Elephants Come
Then it happens.
A swarm of wild elephants moves toward us. They come close, closer than I ever imagine possible, and they surround us. I am fully aware that this could be dangerous. I know what these animals are capable of.
And yet I feel no fear. Only love. Only excitement. Only a gratitude so big it fills my whole chest. Never in a million years do I imagine experiencing something like this. Wild elephants, coming to see me.
They are not afraid. They are not angry. They are simply present, curious, as if they are welcoming us into their world. And I meet them the same way. Wide open. Completely here.
I sit in the presence of something enormous and wild, something that could hurt me, and what rises in me is not panic. It is wonder. It is love. It is the deep knowing that I am exactly where I am meant to be.
This is what becomes possible when fear is not running the moment. A dream come true. One I did not even know to dream.
Three Strangers, One Table
Over a bottle of local wine that Joel thoughtfully brings himself, the three of us start sharing our stories. It amazes me how our lives connect in ways none of us expect. Right there, in the middle of that landscape, three new friendships form.
I am grateful for Tess and for Joel, for turning a first day into something I will carry for a long time. Their company is what lifts this whole day into something unforgettable.
What I Take With Me
Meet each day with curiosity. Let yourself be surprised. And when something big comes toward you, notice what you feel. Sometimes what looks like it should be fear turns out to be wonder, waiting for you to stay long enough to recognize it.
Never in a million years do I imagine wild elephants coming to greet me. And never do I imagine feeling so safe inside a moment that dangerous.
This is what waits on the other side of fear. Not a smaller life. A far bigger one.
Dr. Maria Grace Wolk · mariagracewolk.com