There is something about sitting in a jeep only feet away from an elephant that has a visceral effect on my body. Neither the elephant or I are afraid, but we are hyper aware of each other’s presence. At some point we make eye contact.

I experience joy. I can’t speak for the elephant. He may be more annoyed or amused. He is after all, just trying to eat his breakfast. I would be annoyed if a jeep load of tourists rolled up to my kitchen counter to watch me make toast.

The elephants are huge. And they eat shrubbery constantly. I saw a tea towel in an African shop that said “elephants are proof that salad won’t make you thin”. I suppose if you eat anything constantly it is a problem, but it does make me rethink my life choices. I wonder if elephants gain weight during menopause?

It is also said that “an elephant never forgets”. While that isn’t 100% accurate, science confirms that elephant matriarchs remember migration routes, drought survival paths, and water sources across hundreds of kilometers. They pass down crucial survival data across generations, helping them avoid danger zones or locate resources not used for decades. Elephants moms apparently have to remember where everything is kept and keep the herd in line.

I am really connecting with all the chubby girls on the veld this morning. We have so many things in common. They too are gray with wrinkles. They have stray hairs sprouting on dry skin.

They are so busy trying to find leafy greens that they ignore their children underfoot. The baby elephants are cute and curious. I am watching a little one stick his head in a hole. Mom just keeps eating. Best to let the young ones amuse themselves and learn from experience. At least she won’t have to pick up his toys. If he keeps playing with random branches. She will most likely just eat them.

Meanwhile, a large teenager roams alone. He is big and wants to throw his weight around. He scratches against a tree. Maybe he has an itch. I marvel that his trunk has 150,000 muscles. Delicate enough to hold a blade of grass and strong enough to rip large branches off the tree. He is hormonal and keeps flexing to make sure I notice. He doesn’t know that I taught junior high and high school. Random flexing won’t begin to get a rise out of me.

Jokes aside. When I can just sit and watch elephants in their world, I am amazed. Elephants are known for emotional processing and exhibit caring behaviors. It is obvious that they have family connections. Little ones run freely within the protection of the herd. I think of small children in a family setting. I see the same joy and abandon in the little elephants. (I am aware that I am engaging in personification and that elephants are not people.)

On Safari, when I look eye to eye with an elephant, I see my reflection. Ancient wisdom also stares back at me. It is deep, sacred, and always a little playful. Who are you? Why do you think you are special? Hasn’t God given us all that we require? Why do you worry about things that have no meaning? Would you like to share my leafy greens? (I am aware the elephants aren’t actually speaking to me.)

I wonder what the elephants think of me, sitting in the jeep only a few feet away….