Into the Bush & Out of Africa:

I haven’t updated this Cape Town to Cairo travel blog in 6 years since that fateful day my dad passed away suddenly while I was in rural Ethiopia, and now it’s time to bring closure to the journey with one final entry before going into the bush and out of Africa.

Sometimes unhappy things happen in our lives and we avoid places with old memories. But life goes on and making new memories in old places can bring closure. Here’s the most important memory I’ll take away from this trip (much more interesting than stuffy business elites and wonky politicos).

While walking along Durban beach on an incredible rainbow sunset a few days ago, a middle aged Indian fisherman approaches me and strikes up a surprisingly spiritual conversation. He has kind eyes and a warm smile that makes him easy to talk to. He tells me about his family, and how he had an unexpected third child six years ago, while his other kids were already full grown. This child was born with severe physical handicaps and it wasn’t clear if he would survive; 6 years later the kid is a genius. He tells me that EVERYONE’S BORN WITH A GIFT, AND OUR CHALLENGE IS TO FIGURE OUT WHAT THAT GIFT IS, AND THEN MAKE PEACE WITH IT. Wise words for sure. Then he asks me why I have so much grey hair at my age? I laugh and say I’ve made peace with my grey gift…

It didn’t dawn on me until today that the fisherman’s son was born about the same time as when my dad passed away six years ago. Is this a pure coincidence? Probably. But why did this fisherman randomly come up to me on a beach to share this spiritual message? And then it hit me: what the fisherman was telling me was something my dad would’ve said. Maybe it was a message from the past, or an alternative world, helping me bring closure for the future. Thanks dad for that wise message.