South Africa (pt. 2) "It's not what you think"
Taking a detour from vacation vibes a second..
Gazing out the window of a crop plane from Joberg to the Sabi Sands Game Reserve’s landing strip, I was thinking “this is a long ass way to fly for a lot of the same.”
OH IGNORANCE. You’re so cute.
In retrospect that sounds even more douchey than I remember when thinking it the first time. My forehead was glued to the window of the crop plane bc I wanted to see this landscape that was sure to be completely different than what I’d known growing up in Alabama or even the past 20+ years in drought ridden California.
It looked really familiar. Turns out, earth has a lot of similarities.
When you judge a book by its cover, the mind starts making comparisons to not only what it knows but to what it inherently remembers.
How many times have we collectively wanted something to be true and then we’re disappointed, although not shocked, to find out ‘yeah well, nope’.
Perhaps this is the human experience in action. We prepare or expect to understand only to grapple with the surprise of being wrong.
In Africa I thought I’d feel like I was in a WHOLE NEW WORLD…(sung like a Disney song) only to find it felt familiar.
Sure, the air was different, the food was different, the language was different - but the hearts of the people, the bush, the insects (we spent A LOT of time peeing in grass where I’d stare very intimately and often times WAY too closely at insects), the luxuries of Cheetah Plains, the desire to be present and grateful, the love toward nature and family was all what I’ve come to know on my side of the planet.
Prior to arriving, I expected to be transported and what I found was that the feeling was in me all along. The feeling of Africa has always been in me. It’s a remembering, really. Not something new or different or separate. This occurred to me only after returning home. I can feel the way I felt in Africa if I sit still long enough.
Our time in South Africa provided very little downtime because the schedule was packed and the energy was high - my family is a circus after all. None of this seemed to matter because the feeling I choose to experience now is profound simply because it felt like it had always been there.
Why would I need to travel 36 hours away from home, through multiple time zones, to have the opportunity to remember what I’d forgotten?
Is this getting too heady?
It’s complicated because it’s simple.
“Wherever you go, there you are”.
Much of my days are spent in gratitude, in appreciation, attempting to learn new things and helping people remember how to feel good. It makes sense that traveling to South Africa would reinforce this.
Now, Dubai on the other hand. That felt different. If you didn’t hear, our flights were canceled (not cool Emirates) and then we were all rebooked two days later, after a quick mini vacation in Dubai, on Emirates dime (very very cool Emirates-thank you).
Have you been to Dubai? It’s a city of man made steel and opulence which continued to shock me as I was not accustomed to 106 degree temperatures and the magnitude of it all. Everyone smelled of money. I’m kidding but also I’m not. The rich fragrances were coming from every corner of this city. The hallways in Dubai are the width of the 405 freeway. I don’t know how to explain this other than it’s just so … spread out.
In the Dubai mall, Beau was sitting down on the rug between my folks who were in chairs, reading his Naruto anime book and he was scolded immediately for sitting on the ground. We were all caught off guard. After walking through elephant dung all week, it had slipped our minds that we were now in a very different place.
In comparing the 2 countries, I felt more like a disconnected, albeit very curious, fish out of water during our 48 hour stay.
It was a drastic shift to go from the bush to the Burj Kahlifa - jarring for the senses but an absolute gift.
You likely have heard that your mind can change your brain. I love this so much and speak to it frequently in classes because we all need to understand this. You have a mind and a brain, after all. The learning of new things, whether it’s details about the habits of matriarchal elephants or hearing stories from a Pakistani Uber driver about what it feels like to be a construction worker on the job site of the world’s tallest building; create new neural pathways for creativity, empathy, curiosity, and more.
Even though the bias of the mind is to think “this is nothing new”, the odds are, it is very new and it has something to teach you.
The happenings in this life are not always “what you think”.
Stay open my friends…
It’s a lot more fulfilling that way.
OKAYILOVEYOUBYEEE,
xx
Nic.
ps. Classes this week are limited because I’ll be speaking at FEMPOWERED LIVE in Denver 8/18 and 8/19. ARE YOU COMING?? THERE IS STILL TIME..omg, I’d just love to see you there - I mean that.
Back to the schedule:
* Tuesday QUICKIE YOGA 12-12:30pm pst. $10. All levels yoga...this is a feel good, mobility based sesh…you might sweat a little but overall it’s just a great break in the day. This class has always been $10 as it began as a community class. If you need financial assistance with any of my classes, just ask, we'll make it work. Sign up here.
* Sunday KINSTRETCH 9-10am pst. $20 This is a 60 minute joint specific training that acts as the flossing of your joints, the veggies of all healthy movement. We do the CARS routine, strength train different joints each week, and end with breathwork. Sign up here.
* Sunday AVIATOR NATION YOGA FLOW. 10:45-11:45am. In person, in Santa Monica. Come on out. Sign up here.
pps. FEMPOWERED LIVE in Denver, Co August 18-19th is days away. A 2 day women’s transformational experience that will shock your socks off. Incredible, inspirational speakers (eeeek myself included), business owners, authors, coaches, and women who are walking the walk. For any of us that have been hesitant to step into greatness as mothers, entrepreneurs, and goddesses of influence; the time is now.
Two full days to make new connections and motivate you to take the next right step toward your highest good. My publisher and host of Fempowered Live, Samantha Joy, has created this opportunity to remove the ‘gatekeeping’ mentality and further elevate women just like you. Use my code SWEATSTILL100 to save $100, check out the site and I’ll be seeing you this weekend.