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Sometimes, when a crisis arises, all you can do is to wait it out. To go with the flow, to tell yourself that \u201cthis too shall pass.\u201d That \u201cthings would change\u201d, that next year this time \u201cthe problems of your here and now, would be a distant memory.\u201d Or you could fight it, call it injustice, shout from the rooftops: \u201cUnfair, absurd, preposterous…\u201d \u00a0You could also go sit in the corner, feeling sorry for yourself; your circumstances; your career; your life choices. Each of us reacts differently. This doesn\u2019t make one\u2019s reaction better, or worse, than the others. \u00a0\u201cBefore you start to judge me, step into my shoes and walk the life I\u2019m living and if you get as far as I am, just maybe you will see how strong I really am.\u201d – Unknown –\u00a0<\/p>\n
It is officially the 26th of March 2021. Why is this date significant? It\u2019s my eldest son\u2019s birthday\u2026 He\u2019s turning 13 today! Another reason for the March 26th significance? It signalled the first day of South Africa\u2019s very first lockdown, due to Covid-19. March 26th 2020 was our D-day. Our President gave the nation a few days to prepare ourselves and by 00:00 on the 27th of March, you had to be at home, where you would have to stay for around three weeks in Level 5, full lockdown.<\/p>\n
We rushed back from a visit to my parents in the Free State and arrived at Elephant Plains midday on the 26th of March. The members of staff that stayed on site held a birthday party for Etienne Jnr. and we were looking forward to a special three-week family holiday in the bush\u2026 This turned out to be extended more than once and we ended up spending a glorious 75 days in total at EP. A special time we would never regret having spent together.\u00a0<\/p>\n
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Nkuhuma lion cubs<\/p>\n
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Xidulu, the female leopard<\/p>\n
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Fast forward to a year later\u2026 Covid-19 is still with us and South Africa is starting to wonder when the third wave will hit. Looking at Europe and the trend overseas, we are always a few weeks behind and with a lot of countries now once again on different stages and levels of lockdown, many of us are already thinking about what our next lockdown would be like. Surely our economy would not be able to survive a total, hard lockdown once again? Surely people would have learnt valuable lessons during the past year? Stay at home, only go out if you really need to, practice social distancing, sanitize, wear your mask. Surely these measures would be able to keep us from another hard lockdown, this time around\u2026?<\/p>\n
Surely, maybe, but we just don\u2019t know, now do we? And that is something that I\u2019ve become quite accustomed to during the past year. Something that I\u2019ve learnt to embrace. The certainty of uncertainty. The predictability of the unpredictable. The knowledge that no matter what who says, there is still a lot about this virus that we just don\u2019t know, or fully understand. \u00a0<\/p>\n
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African Wild dogs<\/p>\n
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The lodge is doing well under these trying circumstances. If I look at the number of establishments in our industry that were forced to close down, I feel grateful that we\u2019ve survived thus far. It would take years to re-build to what we were before Covid-19, but at least we have that opportunity. I read a few wise words the other day: \u201cDon\u2019t be afraid to start over again. This time, you\u2019re not starting from scratch, you\u2019re starting from experience.\u201d In our case, it is 23 years\u2019 worth of experience. Add to that a wonderful team of friendly, positive and hard-working staff members, our surroundings – being situated in the pristine Sabi Sand Game Reserve – and the fact that we do not believe in ever giving up, but rather in adjusting and continuously striving to better our product\u2026 With all these things counting in our favour, I cannot help but feel positive about the future.<\/p>\n
When will things go back to normal? Nobody knows. What would the new normal look like? Your guess is as good as mine. Has Covid-19 only brought along with it the bad, the negative, the ugly? I sincerely don\u2019t believe that. In the bigger picture, there\u2019s always a reason for things to happen. You might not immediately recognise why. You might never totally understand its purpose. But I truly believe that this virus has also brought some good. People are living more aware of their surroundings. A lot of relationships have become stronger. Old friends have decided to catch up again. Family feuds have been buried, as we all returned to ourselves, to the here and now and to the things that really matter. Priorities have changed for the better, I believe. This was (or still is) a reset button. I, for one, am continuously trying to adjust, to be more aware, to make the best. It would be pointless if inner transformation did not somehow take place to a certain extend.<\/p>\n
Please do not get me wrong. Covid-19 also brought along so much devastation, loss of loved ones, jobs, security, surety.<\/p>\n
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Elephant<\/p>\n
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Nkuhuma lioness<\/p>\n
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So let\u2019s not beat around the bush. Life is difficult. 2020 has been difficult and by the looks of it, there\u2019s still a whole lot more difficulty up ahead, before things would really start getting better. Are we up to it? I suppose it depends on when you ask who. Do we have a choice? No. Are we tired of Covid-19? Hell, yes! Do we want things to return to a \u201cbetter than before\u201d normal? It\u2019s a no-brainer. Are we grateful for what we still have left? Of course.\u00a0<\/p>\n
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Nkuhuma lion cub<\/p>\n
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Ndzutini, the female leopard<\/p>\n
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