A two-inch southern-foam-nest-tree-frog (its’ official name) was sitting in a branch, and caught the attention of our tracker as we drove past it. We were actually looking for a family of cheetahs thought to be nearby.
Bill and I were amazed that Sipo was able to see such a small creature from high atop a moving vehicle. But then again, he was born and raised here, and pays attention to everything.
He also spotted chameleon in the dark. This happens to be their annual hatching season, so they were everywhere. But you had to know what to look for. This one (enlarged below) was the most distinctive – at least 10 times the size of the others.
Earlier that day, a marauding troop of monkeys descended on me and decided to use our sun shade as a trampoline while I was trying to read. Screeching, with what appeared to be glee and total abandon, they bounded up and down; occasionally resting on my chase lounge or landing in our pool for a drink. It was complete pandemonium.
Needless to say, this wasn’t hard to see or pay attention to. I was forced to retreat (from what was clearly their domain), and soon called the staff for help.
Yes, this has become a common occurrence. It happened last year as well.
Whether from a moving vehicle, while terrorized and barricaded behind glass doors, or during the silence of a dream; I am reminded that there is always so much more to pay attention to.
From the large and obvious, to the minuscule and possible to miss; I’m being called once again to look around. To see the world with new eyes.
In this moment, I am reminded that beauty is abundant, and just waiting to be discovered in all its unexpected iterations. Here, in South Africa, Bill and I are in a constant state of awe and surprise.
It’s wonderful to remember how to change the lens; but “when life happens”, it’s so easy to loose sight and forget.
By the way, we ultimately found the cheetahs. They were resting quietly in the tall grass, paying very close attention to us.
