“The roots of all goodness lie in the soil of appreciation for goodness” – Dalai Lama

Today is undoubtedly a day to celebrate the power of gratitude. And, just as a flame grows when shared, so too does the power of being grateful multiply in abundance when being shared. As we think of those of you who celebrate the tradition of Thanksgiving and who look forward to spending the day with friends and family around a table of good food, the concept of sharing gratitude gave us the opportunity to reflect on a few moments shared in the celebration of the abundance of life at Londolozi.

1. The Sharing Of Knowledge:

On a daily basis, the knowledge of the bush and wildlife is shared. Trackers share skills they have received from generations before them while Rangers translate the wonders of the bush to guests as well as staff. Many of our Rangers and Trackers grew up in the surrounding areas, living close to the land and therefore know its history and have sentimental ties to it. With 16,000 hectares of traversing wilderness, each drive is vastly different, and give the opportunity for more knowledge to be spread. What a privilege it is to leave people’s minds bursting with new and thrilling information to take home and pass on.

“When you are grateful fear disappears and abundance appears” -Anthony Robbins

2. The Sharing Of Milestone Events:

This year has been a prosperous and happy one for the Londolozi Family. Not only have we shared personal triumphs, we have also shared the success of many new initiatives across the organisation as a whole. From the successful refurbishments of both The Private Granite Suites and The Grand Lady Varty Camp, we have also delighted in the opening of our unique Healing House and the fresh new position of our new Safari Boutique and Photographic Studio. From these big milestones to the smaller ones like the birth of new babies into the Londolozi Family and the marriages of many staff members, it’s truly touching how we are able to celebrate together at Londolozi. We are grateful that we are able to share the love and triumphs of the people around us.

“There are only two ways to live your life. One is as though nothing is a miracle. The other is as though everything is a miracle.” — Albert Einstein

3. The Sharing Of Community:

Once a month the Londolozi family meet for what is now known as a 2020 service walk. This walk is founded in our 2020 Vision and allows for community service initiatives to take place around the Londolozi Village and is a lovely way to participate in the shared endeavour to keep our village beautiful.

“At times, our own light goes out and is rekindled by a spark from another person. Each of us has cause to think with deep gratitude of those who have lighted the flame within us.” – Albert Schweitzer

4. The Sharing Of Wellness:

In addition to our monthly walk arounds, the Londolozi family meets up on a Friday afternoon once all of our guests have headed out on safari to join in on an event called Fitness Friday – a timed walk or run around the Londolozi Camp. Once again the coming together of community provides time to connect and reflect. With the opening of the Londolozi Healing House earlier this year, we also show gratitude for the ability to share this haven devoted to bodywork, alternative therapies, yoga and the true connection to nature.

“The real gift of gratitude is that the more grateful you are, the more present you become” -Robert Holden

5. The Sharing Of Life Through Service:

This year, on the 18th of July, we continued our tradition of celebrating Nelson Mandela Day. This year it was Varty Camp’s turn for wild beautification. We did this by recruiting guests and staff to show us their green-fingers while planting indigenous aloes around the camp. Moments like these are touching to have people from all walks of life come together, dedicating their time to community service and giving life to plants.

“The more grateful I am, the more beauty I see” -Mary Davis

6. The Sharing Of Food:

To many, Thanksgiving is about sitting down for a meal as a family. It occurred to us how fortunate we are as staff that we get the opportunity to sit together for almost every meal. Our communal eating area brings us all together to share delicious food and reconnect. On Sundays we share a roast, cementing our family and allowing us to catch-up after a mornings work. Our amazing kitchen team also share their unbelievable talents on a daily basis, and it is clear that our team consider superb cuisine to be an essential part of the Londolozi experience.

“It’s not possible to experience constant euphoria, but if you’re grateful, you can find happiness in everything.”  -Pharrell Williams

7. The Sharing Of Music:

Being musically talented is a gift, and sharing this talent with others is a privilege. Our dedicated Londolozi Ladies choir practices their singing in the village most afternoons, which creates a beautiful rhythm throughout the village. Their performances in the boma around the fire are a celebration of culture, song and stories and are truly magnificent. Amongst our staff, we also have a few guitarists who strum magically together and fill bomas with the sound of music and laughter. Today we are grateful for the musical talent around us and the gift of sharing this phenomenon.

“Music gives a soul to the universe, wings to the mind, flight to the imagination and life to everything” -Plato

8. The Sharing Of Stories:

Londolozi’s long and intricate history lends itself to fascinating, gripping and moving tales. Stories of poachers turned trackers, stories of how Londolozi became, stories of how to see without physically seeing and many more are shared under the roof of the Ubuntu Hut. Ubuntu translates into the phrase ‘I am because we are’, which reflects Londolozi’s philosophy and cements the idea that these stories and life-changing events couldn’t have occurred without a family and a support base. Often, during game drives, your Tracker will share their experiences of animal encounters and bush-myths passed down from generation to generation. The sharing of these stories is a bonding moment where people from all walks of life are able to connect.

“No one who achieves success does so without the help of others. The wise and confident acknowledge this help with gratitude.” – Alfred North Whitehead

9. The Sharing Of Education:

While one of the unfortunate realities in South Africa is the low percentage of children and adults exposed to quality education, initiatives such as The Good Work Foundation (GWF) make us hopeful of change and progress. The GWF vision is to lead a sustainable model of learning that can be introduced to rural African communities. The model focuses on delivering digital-era literacy education and career training via community-driven digital learning centres of excellence. We are fortunate to have the ‘incubator’ Learning Centre here Londolozi where the model began and where people are encouraged to learn and further themselves. Today we show gratitude for the opportunity and sharing of education at Londolozi and the GWF.

“Education is the most powerful weapon which you can use to change the world” -Nelson Mandela

10. The Moments Animals Share With Us:

Finally, for the most beautiful act of sharing, the moments that animals share with us at Londolozi. We are unbelievably fortunate to share such intimate moments with wildlife. This is a result of years of land restoration and developing trust with the animals which can be seen all across Londolozi. Earlier this year, right in the heart of the Londolozi village at a 2020 walk around, a mother nyala gave birth to her lamb just a few metres away from us; leopards and lions continually trust us in the presence of their cubs and elephants come and investigate vehicles during game drives. There are certainly too many examples of this to name, but today we show gratitude for these priceless moments with some of nature’s most beautiful creatures and the endless ways in which she shares herself with us, making us the best versions of ourselves each day.

“We can only be said to be alive in those moments when our hearts are conscious of our treasures.” — Thornton Wilder

If you’d also like to share something this Thanksgiving, leave us a comment below and share this with your loved ones.

From our Londolozi Family to yours, we wish you a very happy Thanksgiving full of life’s abundances.