I flew us to Ol Donyo today in a Cessna 206! (more on that later)….
My spirit was light, excited, i didn’t know why and didn’t need to. I just knew i felt happy and bright.
maybe here’s why…
Around 4PM – we head out past the acacia forest to the open plains to get some exercise in! mountain bikes on the back, we were ready to explore Africa! I have to say, biking in the open plains of Kenya is an amazing feeling. Only an acacia tree or wildebeest or impala as far as my eye could see…tall grasses swaying in the wind, and “killi” as Mt. Kilimanjaro is referred to here was hiding behind the clouds, but presence felt. The chuylus were still visible and so we were nearly surrounded by mountains, yet completely fee and open with miles and endless miles of savannah. I felt like I could reach those mountains, but the more I rode, I realized they were days away…
So, here I was, biking through the African savannah – free, open, feeling as if I could lift off at any moment. The horizon is never ending…I kept looking at it and saying, I’ll reach it, to find I never would….wind on my face, slight chill in the air, clouds in the sky, grasses swaying, a random acacia tree I the distance, zebras, impalas, a lone wildebeest….i biked along the black volcanic ash road in complete silence…nothing around other than nature. I love this moment. I love the freedom, the wilderness, the knowing that a lion or cheetah could be out here with me…it was truly magical.
then a drop or two of sweet rain came, light, playful yet foreboding for sure. I looked above and decided I could make a game of this…me vs. the rain – could I outrun a huge rainstorm here in the savannah? Who knew..but I was going to try like hell. Not because I didn’t want to get wet, in fact a tiny shower may have been refreshing, more to see if I could figure out where the rain was coming from and headed to….so I stopped in my tracks and turned the bike around and headed back the way I’d come….rain at my back, just a few drops landed on my shoulders, I peddled as fast as my legs would take me. I thought I may actually spin the peddles right off the bike! At some point, the rain caught up, coming heavier and faster, until my shoulders were wet and soon it was a downpour.
I kept my eyes on the horizon, wondering if the rain would pass…not worried about anything. Not thinking really. Connecting with myself, the following streamed through my consciousness – I’ve got one shot, I can do this, I am eternal, this is my life, to live the way I want, I am courageous, I am bold, I am aware. I have the courage and might to follow my heart and live my path. I am ancient, all-knowing, and have all I need within me. I am free. I am free.
I felt like I was in a film – there was something otherworldly about this moment. I was not here nor there. Radio flyer kept coming to me – that sense, feeling of escape.
The rain was now coming directly at me – I was flying into it – head on – more quickly than before. If I peddled faster, I could beat the rain? With no hat or sunglasses clear enough to see through (it was a bit dark by this time), my eyes were exposed and the torrent never let off. I felt the rain hitting my eyeballs, so I kept my head down, allowing it to hit my brow and trickle down over my eyelids….but every minute or so, boy those rain pelts stung! I just was. Immersed in seeing far enough ahead so as to not hit a ditch or rock, but not far enough to let my eyes be beat by these relentless raindrops. Soaked to the core, buzzing down the volcanic ash road without much else going on in my brain. Looking back now, it was fantastic!
Maybe 10 minutes later, I turned to head back toward where we started earlier, thinking ther rain was moving north and I could head east. I’d known the car was behind me now, I hadn’t felt it’s presence – but now it pulled up along side me and the driver asked if I was ready….more suggested vs. asked. Most of me wanted to keep going. But, as soon as I looked up, my eyes were no longer protected by my brows and i could barely see….reluctantly, I surrendered. Wow, what a sting! Wherever I was headed to, I didn’t feel like id gotten there. I jumped into the front seat as james and Jackson put my bike on the back of the truck…it took them a while to secure it, so I sat there, like a drowned rate, and appreciated the time I had spent on the bike. I somehow remembered that it wasn’t about where I was going, it’s about where I am. About being. And for those moments, I was being. And I was being grateful.
The ride back to camp was just as fun, in an open air land cruiser, with flaps on the sides, the rain was pouring in! we were barely shielded, in fact, we could’ve had no roof for all I could tell.
We sped up the road, it was bumpy and rainy, it felt like a water ride from my childhood. I looked back and James was hanging on getting hammered with rain too – but not one complaint….we giggled and enjoyed the adventure.
Landing back at camp safely, I was so excited to take a hot shower and put on warm clean clothes (THANK YOU solar panels for working!)
And now here I sit, with a hot water and lemon reflecting on my radio flyer afternoon.