During these troubling times, we look to nature for a few reminders of what is important.
Life feels like a bit of a paradox at the moment. We are living in a time when staying apart becomes an act of love, and social distancing requires social togetherness as everyone needs to stay at home in order for us to flatten the curve. For the first time, possible ever, the entire world has something we can all relate to. It is a shared experience, though our circumstances may be different while we are in the midst of the pandemic. There is a lot of uncertainty, but one thing is abundantly clear: We are stronger together and more powerful if we all work as a team towards a collective goal.
The winds of change have swept through almost every sphere of our lives. Work environments have changed, as has the way we interact and engage with each other. We are navigating the world through our laptop screens and window panes. Working in the online marketing department for a tourism company, I found the change overwhelming. We needed to decide who we wanted to be during this time, how we wanted to communicate with the world, and what conversations we wanted to start. Instead of creating new adventures, we began telling stories of the journey we have been on in Victoria Falls. Old photographs guided us back to forgotten memories, and the tales of triumph, challenge, humour and hardship brought us closer together and gave us something to smile about when the days felt overwhelming. Talking and hearing about how the natural world inspires, motivates and teaches us unique life lessons became an important beacon of light that empowered us to keep going. The best is yet to come.
Struggle is the foundation of vitality. There are many fables about the Baobab tree and why its unique appearance makes it look like it is upside down. It might not be the most beautiful tree, but Baobabs can survive fires and droughts, and if its bark is stripped off it will grow back. After trauma, the tree still produces Cream of Tartar fruit, which contains more Vitamin C than oranges. The Baobab is also know as the Tree of Life because its hollow trunk allows it to stores tens of thousand of gallons of water for people, animals and itself to use in the dry season. Like the tourism industry, many beings rely on the Baobab as a vital life source, a strength, shade and of course, a collection of wonderful stories.
Communication is essential. All living things are in a perpetual state of communication. You can hear it in the belly rumbles of elephant herds, the echoing call of a baboon to alert the troop of danger, and even in the way that plants register sunlight and temperature. In the technological world we live in, humans ability to communicate transcends time and space. We can talk, share stories and provide support to one another both in the professional and private spheres of our lives. That is something to be extremely grateful for.
Hard times do pass. Last year, we were faced with a terrible drought. This year, the Zambezi is the highest it has been in a decade. The volume of water flowing over the Victoria Falls is four times more than what it was one year ago. We can’t tell you when, but we can tell you that this too shall pass.