THE VERY BASICS OF LIFE

I am sure that everyone can look at that title and come up with what their "very basics of life" would be, and then, maybe read mine, and go...........whoa, that is a little TOO BASIC FOR ME!!

I was home today, and didn't feel well, and decided to just do a few things for work, a few things for me at the house, and to just relax, and put my legs up, and spend time with the animals.

I don't really have that much time for extra curricular activities, and it almost seems like a glorious day in miracle land, if I get to watch a video, you know, something mindless that will take you away for awhile, just a brain dead kinda day.

So I looked over at my TV and saw this movie that a friend got for me. A funny movie, to some, but, for me, shoot, it was filmed in Africa, and I am on ANYTHING ABOUT AFRICA, and for being the silliest movie, really, something I would never, ever rent, I said, what the hey, popped it in, and immediately, was entranced.

The opening shot was in the Northern Serengeti, in the Safari, where I was incredibly privileged to spend a lot of time.

It had to be THE MOST AMAZING TIME OF MY LIFE, one that I am trying very hard to articulate for a book, and for me, to be at a loss for words, is........well.........it just doesn't happen often.

I immediately sat down, brought my coffee over, snuggled with my babies, and watched the most glorious events happen, there, in Africa, with the people, the animals, the setting, the way of life, the amazing...................... AMAZING...............SIMPLICITY........................ that transported me to a place, that so truly resonates with me, first, foremost, and above and beyond anything else on the face of the earth.

I spent an incredible amount of time with the Masai People, watching them, learning from them, doing what they do, asking a million questions, video taping every precious moment, listening so intently, eating what they ate, sharing a language that most people would not take the time to hear.

They acclimate to their surroundings. They use every bit of what is man made, and make it work to their advantage. They are outside, in nature, hearing nature, feeling nature, appreciating nature, and nourishing their bodies,, from nature.

When I saw the process of how they "kill" animals for food, I cried.

They take a man made poultice, or tincture, from herbs that they have gathered, and put the paste on the end of an arrow, and when they find the right animal, or meat, they aim and throw the arrow, to sedate the animal, and then, of course, it eventually kills the animal. Trust me, I hate to even see that, but watching the process, it shows you when man REALLY needs something for his existence, to actually stay afloat, there are things you can do, out of a necessity.

After he shot the arrow, and the animal went to "sleep", the tradition is, that they immediately go over to the animal, bow down, and ask for forgiveness, and say a long prayer, so incredibly humble, so reverent, to let the animal know, it is just out of sheer necessity, to do what they have done, but not to forget how honored they are to be able to take from them, what will sustain them, and nourish them, throughout their existence.

That was just ONE segment.

Of course there is one element that happens with me.

No matter what I watch, I always seek the symbolism out, and especially when it is THIS blatant, I can't help but to depict the amazing parallels that almost NEED to be talked about, in order for me to stay in a place that keeps me simple, remembering the things that are really true, simple, for my taste. Amongst the crazy technology, the IPhone, the computer, all of the conveniences, every bit of how we Americans live, mostly, rubs me the wrong way, and I try to swim to the shore of simplicity, every chance I get, to get away from that "norm", and to relish in what I know to be godly, satiating, and transforming.

Watching this movie, took me back to when I was in Africa, how it transformed my entire life, and how it marked what I want to be doing for the rest of my life.

I know I cannot describe all of that in one single blog, or probably couldn't in several, but.........

Maybe I will catch you up on what that was all about for me, since this doesn't really tell much, just the emotional impact it had on me.

I swear, every single moment.......... that I spent in Africa, made me feel more alive, than ANY.......ANY EXPERIENCE.........here.

That would go for, purchases, lovers, birthday bashes, incredible meditative moments, extreme sexual satisfaction, shopping sprees, favorite art pieces, the best cake, candy, food, wine.............. beaches, homes, cars, trucks...........you name it.............

The amount of satisfaction that I derived from traipsing around from orphanage to orphanage, stock piling their "homes", so to speak, with Mesa flour, soap, sugar, salt, the very basics, of basics........... just so they can have something to eat for the next day, or even that moment.

Nets to cover their heads so they wouldn't get Malaria, from the mosquitoes hanging out in every corner of life............

These people were happy in all of their despair.

No one was complaining.

No one was pissed cuz their IPhone was lost, or broken. They actually lit up like a Christmas Tree that we brought bottled water. THAT WAS A GIFT GUYS. WATER WAS A GIFT.

Not a Lexus, not a piece of art work, not good food, but WATER.

THE VERY BASICS OF LIFE INNATELY MAKE US HAPPY.

Anyway, this movie moved me to find my footage, wondering if I actually had any left after a huge move, and lord knows who took what, where things got placed, but I managed to find one CD. Better one, than none.

Just the title of the CD enamored me. Nothing crazy, just KENYA SAFARI.......ARRIVAL/3 ORPHANAGES.

I knew what that meant, and I started to kind of hurry to finish up any last "business" that I had, to go watch the time of my life.

I thought, "Oh, let me put this on while I cook dinner", but as soon as I put it on, I couldn't do any thing else.

I paused it.

I watched my morning, coming out of my tent, on Safari, in the beautiful Serengeti, the sunrise, the outline of the sky, the images of the trees, the little wart hogs that run so ramped, and the zebra that make any "dreary day", look like heaven, on a silver platter.

Seriously, I am in such a state of awe, just as much now, as I was then, right there, in the thick of it all.

There is an extremely endearing, passionate, love making, when it comes to how I appreciate, and acknowledge, a land that I am so connected to, since I was a child.

There isn't much else I think about, other than writing........writing until my heart is content.

Relationships are cool, I guess. They are another entity.........and beautiful, for what they offer, in another spectrum...........but when you taste life, in such a grandiose way, you almost cannot bare to go "back", to the "normal" existence that we all live, everyday.

Animals, real people, living off of their sacred land, appreciating the most simple "luxuries", that we, as Americans, throw around like it will always be there.

They smile continuously, they don't WANT, OR NEED, they............just ............are~

And revel in that............

This movie was incredibly symbolic, as it is, in short, a man flying in an airplane, happens to throw his coke bottle out of his airplane, and it lands in Africa, where they don't even know what anything "hard" is.

The tribe is totally entranced with this coke bottle, and starts using it for everything. To smooth out snake skin, to chop root vegetables up, to use as a sort of flute, for many things.

Soon, it starts making waves because of it's convenience.

Everyone in the tribe wants to use it, handle it, and is so entranced by it.

All of a sudden, a tribe that is so content, so fine with the simple life, finds something that is convenient for them, rather than the "man made way", and it suddenly creates disturbance.

This one is JEALOUS, that the the other one had the coke bottle for this long.

This one is fighting because the other took the coke bottle to make this or that...........

All of a sudden, everyone who never had "the coke bottle", all of a sudden wanted it, got a taste of the convenience, and forgot what it was like to be simple, with what they innately, had, to begin with.

The movie, in all of it's silliness, drove me to extreme gratitude.

I looked in my refrigerator, that earlier, seemed barren, thought about the things that I said, "I needed", and just saw my thoughts, and where they resided, and pretty much erased 99.9% of it all................

and here I sit, with the dinner I thought was "boring", and desperado, because I cannot get to a store, in the moment, and felt extremely ridiculous, so pretentious, in a way, and melted, so far down to an existence that leaves me, now, in such gratitude, savoring every last bit of an extremely gourmet meal, that otherwise, I would have thought, "Eh", I'll get something better when I have the chance."

HOW CRAZY IS THAT?

OK, I'm rambling, but only because it is such a great subject.

I'm going to watch the rest of my trip on video, and remember what it is that I love the most, and continue plotting and planning.

I hope you all find what it is that is your extreme passion, and that you keep it fresh in your mind, and know, at all times, that is available, and ready for you to embark on, exactly when you are ready to make the move.

So much support and love,

Gabriela