There’s a man named Lloyd who works with one of the conservation projects we visit.
He’s passionate about the Bushmen โ the first people of Africa โ and he taught us their traditional morning greeting.
They don’t say “good morning” or “how are you?”
They say: “Wake up, wake up. Are your eyes wide open?”
It’s not just polite small talk. It’s a question with weight:
Are you seeing what’s happening around you?
Are you connecting to what’s happening today?
Are you present, or are you sleepwalking through your life?
One morning on a trip, Lloyd took us to watch the sunrise. We all sat there in silence as the sun came up over the African bush. Nobody spoke. Nobody took photos. We just sat.
It’s one of those moments that changes you. That you never forget.
It’s February 27th.
Wild at Heart leaves May 11.
I have 5 spots left. Maybe 1 by the time you read this.
You’ve read three emails from me now. The Pee story. Erika’s elephants. The widow’s journey.
So I’m asking you the same question the Bushmen ask each morning:
Are your eyes wide open?
Open to the fact that you’ve been waiting for the “right time” that might never come?
Open to what your life could feel like if you finally stopped performing for everyone else?
Open to the possibility that May 11 could be the day you finally say yes to yourself?
Here’s what I know about the women who book:
They don’t wait for permission. They don’t wait until everything is perfect. They don’t wait until their kids are older or their finances are sorted or they’ve ticked every box.
They just know.
The same way Ilse knew when she went back to school to earn money for these trips. (She’s been four times now and has “Dream. Believe. Dare. Do.” tattooed on her back.)
The same way Erika knew when she came home and immediately emailed 18 friends saying “I’m going back.” (Three said yes within daysโall women who’d experienced profound loss and knew they needed this.)
The same way the widow knew when she decided to honour her late husband by finally doing the thing they’d dreamed of together.
P.S. Erika told me something before her second trip: “I wouldn’t want to convince someone who’s hesitant because you have to be ready to completely let go.” She’s right. If you’re not ready, you’re not ready. But if you are? If you’ve been ready for years and just needed permission? This is me telling you: it’s time.
