Epilogue: Can You Keep It?

As I sit to write the final blog for this trip, I am waiting at JFK airport to head home to San Diego. From the moment I touched down in the U.S yesterday morning, I have been challenged to keep the peace and calm that I acquired over the past 2 weeks in Africa. As we landed, we were delayed on the runway and had to take the "scenic" route to the terminal. After 20 plus hours of flying, it was the longest and slowest 20 min taxi I have felt in a long time. After moving through customs, we found ourselves a cab to head into the city. 60 minutes of white knuckle New York cab driving later, we were in Manhattan and ready to check into our hotel. Our hotel however, was not ready for us. It was 12pm. We would not be able to check in until 3. Although we had requested an early check in, we were not able to do so. The Universe it seems, was really testing me, and sad as it makes me to say it, I was failing. 2 weeks of calm and peace, gone in an instant. I was tired, I was dirty, I was frustrated. All I wanted was a shower, but instead, we had 3 hours to spend in the humid heat of New York city.
I took a breathe, calmed myself, and my wife and I headed into the city. We grabbed some lunch, walked around, and wandered about until finally it was time to check in at 3pm.
After showering up and feeling human again, we headed out to meet some friends for dinner. It was a great time, and we even got a show of thunder and lightening as a massive storm blew in over the city. Belly full, and tired, we made our way back to the hotel and went to bed.
Jet lag found me at 5am, and I was wide awake. I called to request a late check out from the hotel, as our flight wasn't until 5:30pm. I was hoping to be able to check out around 3pm and head out for the airport. They said sure, we could have until 1pm. Really? Regular check out is 12pm. So much for a "late" check out. The tests kept coming.
Ok, not that big a deal. My wife and I decided we would treat ourselves to massages at the hotel spa while we were waiting to head out. I called to find out what our options were, and wouldn't you know it, the spa was closed for renovations. So, no massages for us.
I checked online to see that our flight was still on time, and, in case you haven't guessed by now, it's not. We are delayed an hour.
And so, as I sit here passing the time, reflecting on my journey, I realize that the true measure of any accomplishment, weather gained through vacation, meditation, or spontaneous realization, is weather or not you can keep it. It's all very well to find peace in the inner stillness of deep meditation, on the african plains, or the Cape Town coast, but can you, or in this case I, keep it? I am doing my best, and catching myself in the process of losing the peace I found, so that's a start. When I find myself moving towards frustration and irritation, I stop, take a breathe, and remember the mountains of the cape, the sunsets in the bush, and the smiles on the faces of all the friends I spent time with, and I find my way back. As I return home to San Diego, and to "normal" day to day life, I am sure the opportunities to be tested will be many, but hopefully my time in New York will help remind me to stay in the peace and calm I brought back from Africa.
In closing, I hope that you have had the opportunity to find some peace, some calm, or some other benefit of your own in reading these words and thoughts I have shared.
Now, the real question is: Can you keep it?

As One Adventure Ends, So Another Begins

From the wilds of the bush we made our way into Cape Town, South Africa. At the southernmost coast of africa, Cape Town is a beautiful, beautiful place. I was last here when I was about 9 or 10 years old, so I have very few memories of the place. I feel like this was really my first trip here. Cape Town reminds me very much of a little seaside town in Europe, or even a small little island. We spent most of our time touring around the various areas, walking past shop after shop, buying souvenirs, and things like that. It was a pretty relaxing experience. We even got a chance to stop by and see some penguins that live on the coast here. Very cute little creatures.
One of the stops we made was at Cape Point, the place where the Indian and Atlantic oceans meet. It was beautiful, and we were greeted with a small rainbow just off the coast for a few moments.
The rest of the time here we spent visiting different restaurants, walking along the waterfront, and just relaxing at our beautiful hotel. I even got in a little hike with my wife, and that was a lot of fun. We tried to visit Table Mountain, a famous landmark here in Cape Town, but alas it was closed for yearly maintenance, so we will have to see it another time. One of the great treats we did get to experience was a small helicopter ride from our hotel to the waterfront. I have loved helicopters ever since I was a little kid, so getting a chance to go in one now, even though only for a few minutes, was a lot of fun.
All in all Cape Town has been a very relaxing and beautiful place to be in. No major epiphanies to report, and no deep insights to share. If anything, being here has reminded me just how much I love my home, my friends, my family, and my work. I have enjoyed this trip tremendously, but now I am certainly ready to return home to all that I love. This vacation has truly been a gift, and I have enjoyed sharing these magical moments with my wife, our daughter to be, and my parents.
In a couple hours I will be on my way to London for a quick layover and then onto New York where my wife and I will spend a day and a half before returning to San Diego. I will miss all of the great people I have reconnected with here in South Africa, and the memories I have made will stay with me as I journey onward.
At the end of this adventure, I start a whole new journey, the journey into fatherhood. I am truly excited, a little bit nervous, and tremendously looking forward to all this great adventure has to offer. Perhaps in-between diaper changes and feedings I will find some time to share that journey with you as well. In the meantime, I hope these photos and words I have shared with you over the past couple weeks have given you a chance to journey with me to South Africa, and share in the magic of my experiences.
May each and every one of you reading this be blessed with Divine Love and Light, and may all your adventures, big or small, be better than you could ever imagine.
Until next time,
Namaste.

Heaven on Earth

From Sun City, we headed out into the bush for the next part of our adventure, a safari. We went to a private game lodge called Shambala. A Tibetan word, shambala means heaven on earth, and it was a perfect description of our new location. The lodge usually only houses a maximum of 16 guests, but for our stay we were the only ones. We literally had the place entirely to ourselves. It was a very unique experience and we were treated like vips by the staff. Our accommodation was amazing as well. We stayed in a small little bungalow modeled after a traditional african straw hut known as a rondavel. It was beautiful.
The true beauty and excitement though came when we journeyed out into the bush to see the animals. By the end of our trip, we had seen zebras, giraffes, buffalos, ostriches, warthogs, impalas, kudus, wildebeests, elephants, lions, a cheetah just after it had made a kill, and even a rhino that charged us to within 5 feet of our vehicle. To be so close to these wild animals in their natural habitat is beyond words. Raw, untouched, uncaged nature at its best. These few days in the wild have definitely been the highlight of the trip for me.
Being out in the African wild has given me a lot of time to reconnect with nature, with life, and with my Self. I learned a lot from the animals out here. From the cats I learned about true power. They showed me that even though they had the ability to kill most of the other animals around them, they did so only when they needed to in order to live. Unlike us humans, they did not kill for fun, for politics, or for any other sorry excuse.
From the elephants, I learned about true strength. These massive creatures have more muscles in just their trunks than we have in our entire human body, and yet they can use them to pick up a coin off the ground if need be. To see the way these gentle giants interacted with their young children was more beautiful than any words can convey. To know that these massive beings had the strength to destroy just about anything that stood in their way, us included, and yet they chose not to, is a true example of strength.
From nature itself I learned about true peace. The way all of the animals interacted together, the symphony of life's rhythms played out across the land, the call of the birds at sunrise, the calm of the animals at dusk. To see how each and every creature fit so well into the puzzle of life, each played their parts and did so without complaint. No concern for what had been, no worry about what could be, just present in the moment as it was. To live in such a way is true peace, true harmony.
This way of life is not just reserved for the animals of the bush however. It is a state of being that each and every one of us is capable of achieving as well. It takes time, and it takes effort, but it can be done. Start with your breath, let it be deep, slow and full. After all, breath is life, and when we can consciously connect with it, we can consciously connect with life. Let your breath call you into the present moment, call you into peace, and the rhythm of life itself. When we do this, little by little we find that life has become far more than we ever imagined, and we find our way to our very own Shambala, to our very own heaven on earth.

Not All That Glitters Is Gold

On Tuesday, we left Johannesburg and headed out of town to a resort called Sun City. More specifically, The Palace of The Lost City at Sun City. Quite a mouthful I know. It was an easy 2 hour drive through the back roads and bushland of South Africa, and then seemingly out of nowhere, the resort. The Palace is modeled after the idea of finding a lost city in the middle of the african wilderness, and that is exactly what it feels like. The pictures below can say more than these words.
The service was top notch and we were treated like royalty, being given a tour of the resort as we were taken to our room. We were only staying for one night, so we got settled and headed out to explore the resort. I remember coming here as a kid, and being in awe of the architecture and feel of the place. Truth be told, I was having just as much fun exploring again, only this time with my wife and parents. We walked down the "royal staircase," found our way to the amphitheater, crossed the stone bridge in "the valley of the waves" and found our way behind a waterfall and across a rope bridge just like Indiana Jones would have done. I spent countless hours playing in these locales when I visited as a kid, so finding them again was a lot of fun. After walking around and taking a bunch of fun pictures, we headed up to the "king's tower" to get a glimpse of the land from a high vantage point. It was beautiful to see the sun setting over the mountains in the distance, casting shadows and colors all across the land.
The sheer opulence and magnitude of this place was in such stark contrast to Soweto the day before. From tin huts and shanty towns to lost cities and royal palaces all within 24 hours. The range of experience on this trip is truly incredible. Once again I was drawn to remember how lucky I am to be able to see the things that I am seeing, and do the things that I am doing. I feel truly blessed to be able to experience all of this, and to share the experience with my wife and parents is phenomenal. I only wish that my sister was here with us, but alas she was unable to take the time off work.
As amazing as this unique resort was, it was also evident just how unreal it was. It was grand, and it was beautiful, but it was fake, an illusion. Don't get me wrong, it was a tremendously enjoyable illusion, but an illusion nonetheless. It made me realize just how deceiving appearances can be. Although the small brick houses and tin huts in Soweto the day before were nothing like this place, they somehow felt more real, more alive. The palace however was a facade, a show. It was a real reminder that things are not always what they seem. No matter how amazing something looks on the outside, the truth of it lies within. This is true of places, experiences, and people too. Being in the "Palace" reminded me just how important it is not to make judgments and assumptions based only on appearances. This is not always easy to do, and I catch myself forgetting this lesson often. All these experiences I am having though are serving as great reminders and teachers to me, illustrating in beautiful ways the Truth that I know deep inside. And so, in "The Palace of the Lost City" I found once more that true beauty resides within, and not all that glitters is gold.

What I Learned From Soweto

On Monday, I went to visit an area of Johannesburg known as Soweto. Soweto, an acronym for South Western Township, has played a very important part of history not just for Johannesburg, but for South Africa as a whole. Countless books and history lessons have been written on the subject, so I will do my best to be brief. Soweto is a township, mostly made up of small shanty towns and shacks. In the not too distant past, very few if any white people would venture there, and even the police often dared not enter. Soweto was a place where many of the black people of Johannesburg lived ( and a lot still do), in conditions that most of you reading this would find appalling. No running water, no plumbing, certainly no AC or heating. What really makes Soweto so important, is that it was one of the epicenters of the fight against apartheid in South Africa. If you don't know what apartheid was, think segregation in the U.S, only much much worse. Google it if you don't believe me. There was a lot of violence and hatred towards the black people of South Africa, and when they fought back, many gave their lives to do so. At the time of apartheid, black people were not allowed to have anything to do with politics, and were forbidden from meeting to discuss any such things. Any meetings that did happen, had to take place in secret. One such place in which these meetings took occurred is the Regina Mundi church. It was here that men like Nelson Mandela and his colleagues met to discuss how they would go about getting their freedom from oppression, and be granted the equal rights that all people deserve. Often times these meetings were broken up with force, and the countless bullet holes in the walls and ceiling of the church serve as vivd reminders of those times. Out of all of this darkness however, came a great amount of light. Not too far from this church, I visited the house where Nelson Mandela lived before being imprisoned. A humble home, it provided shelter to the man who would one day change not only South Africa, but the world. And just down the block, stands the house of another great man, Bishop Desmond Tutu. Both of these men grew up in the darkness and danger of Soweto, and both of these men grew up to become recipients of the Nobel Peace Prize. The only place in the world where 2 Nobel Peace recipients lived on the very same street. These few paragraphs don't even begin to do justice to the countless men and women who had to endure the terrible hardships of apartheid and living in Soweto, but hopefully the lessons I learned by visiting there do.
I learned just how lucky I am, and most of you reading this are too, that we are not segregated, beaten, and killed for the color of our skin. That we are free to live and think as we choose, that we can drink the water coming out of our faucets, that we even have faucets in the first place, that we have toilets, and medicine, and all the other things most of us take for granted every day. I give thanks every day for all that I have in my life, and if you don't already, I urge that you let gratitude become a part of your daily routine as well. Soweto reminded me of how important gratitude is, and also how important it is to help those less fortunate than myself.

The other thing that Soweto taught me, is that it's not about where you start, but rather where you finish. My dad has told me this all my life, but Soweto showed it to me in a whole new way. Like a lotus flower that begins life in the dark, dirty mud at the bottom of a lake and grows through the darkness to emerge as a beautiful flower, so too did men like Mandela and Bishop Tutu grow through the darkness and despair of apartheid to change the world with their peace and understanding. With that in mind, be grateful for your dark times and your struggles and know that they are there to help you grow and blossom, just like the mud is for the lotus. Life is precious, freedom is priceless, and gratitude is key, and that my friends, is what I learned from Soweto.

Memory Lane and The Circle of Life

The past few days have been awash with all sorts of emotions, a real journey down memory lane, and a true reminder of the circle of life. I felt like I relieved my entire childhood in 4 days, and while there were so many familiar experiences, there were also so many new ones. I drove past my grandparents old condo, and it felt very strange going right by it instead of going in. I felt very nostalgic for the great times I have had in that place, more than 20 years worth. I also drove past the house I grew up in. It was really strange being with my wife, our growing child in her belly, and looking at the house where I spent the first 5 years of my life. Surreal doesn't really even begin to describe it. Another landmark on memory lane was the hospital where I spent a lot of time as a kid, whether visiting my pediatrician, or recovering from an ailment related to my genetic disease. I am grateful for all of the healing that took place there, and while some of my memories from this place are not great, overall it was nice to drive by, knowing just how far I have come since then. It wasn't just reflecting on my own past that made me keenly aware of the ebb and flow of life however. I spent time with some of the friends that I had when I was just a little boy. One of my best friends from that time of my life was literally the girl next door. We used to spend hours upon hours together from the time we were born until we could walk, talk, and play together. She even reminded me that once we got into an argument, and I climbed over the wall in the yard and went home. This time however, rather than arguing or playing house, I met her 3 year old son. It was amazing to see her child at the age in which her and I used to play. How strange and magical life is, moving faster and faster every day it seems. This meeting was not my only reminder however. I also spent time with more family friends, people who have known me my entire life, longer than most people who I know today in the U.S. Most of them are grandparents now, sharing their love and support with their children's children, the way they used to love and support me. Seeing all of these changes, all of the new life coming into the world, is the circle of life at its best. It warmed my heart, and made me smile. On the other end of the spectrum, I was reminded too about the sadder side of life's circle, that at some point our journeys in this world end. I went to the cemetery to visit my grandfather's resting place. I was moved to tears, the kind I couldn't have held back even if I tried. My grandfather and I had a very special relationship, and I learned so very much from him while he was here. I truly miss him, and visiting his grave made his absence all the more real. While at the cemetery, I found myself paying respect at another grave too, one that I hadn't expected to visit. It was the grave of my childhood doctor, the man who figured out what was going on with me as a child, and the one who did all he could to keep me healthy and alive when I was a very sick little boy. He passed away just 7 months ago after a long battle with cancer. I only wish I could have done something to help him, the way he had helped me so long ago. Once again I found myself moved to tears, the kind that flowed upwards from the depths of my soul, and ran down my cheeks. I gave thanks to this great man for all of the work that he had done for me and so many others while he was alive. While at the cemetery, standing at the graves of 2 men who played such important roles in my life, I couldn't help but think how much I owed to them both. Without either one of them, I most certainly wouldn't be here today. I could go on and on about each of them, and all of the other amazing people I revisited on this trip in Johannesburg, but alas, this is a blog, not a novel. In closing, I will say this though: These past 4 days have reminded me just how sacred and special life is. Truly a divine gift. I for one will do the best I can to make the most of it, and I hope you will do the same. I may only be 32 years old, but already I have seen just how fast this journey we call life moves. Stop. Breathe. Connect. Remember, each and every moment is special. Learn from the hard times, the challenges, as they will make you stronger, better, more alive. Remember that they will pass. Love and cherish the good times, the blessings you are given, the friends and family that you have, because they too will make you better, more full of life, and they too shall pass. Share your life, and share your love, share your smiles and also your tears. For it is through sharing these moments with the ones you love that we pave memory lane, and weave together our very own circle of life . . .

The Journey Begins

Today marks the beginning of my South African adventure. As I write this, I am sitting in my hotel room in Johannesburg, South Africa. It is Friday morning. I left San Diego on Wednesday evening. So, after more than 30 hours of traveling, I am somewhat tired. More than that though, arriving here today has been a pretty surreal experience. For one thing, it has been almost 9 years since I was last here. That was when I came back to help my grandmother pack up to move to San Diego. This is the first time in my life that I have been to South Africa and my grandparents are not here. As long as I can remember I have always stayed at their condo when I visited, but now I am in a hotel, and it is certainly strange. My grandfather passed away here about 11 years ago, so being back reminds me a lot of him. Part of me expects to see him coming around the corner any moment to hang out, but I know that's not going to happen. It's amazing how fast life moves. On that note, I am also here with my wife, who happens to be 7 months pregnant. It is her (and my daughter's) first trip here. I am excited to share this place with them, the land where I was born, the land that holds so many amazing memories for me. We are in for a beautiful and amazing journey while we are here. Safari, wine country, the coast, long time friends, family, and more. Although I was born here, and have been here many times before, this trip is entirely new for me. I am seeing everything through different eyes now, the eyes of a husband, the eyes of a father to be, and as always the eyes of a seeker. What will I have experienced and discovered at the end of this journey? I can't say for sure, but I look forward to finding out. What I can be sure of right now though is that with a heart full of fond memories, and open to making new ones, the journey begins . . .