I’ve landed in South Africa for a two-week-stay to turn a big dream into reality. I want to create a retreat here in 2020/21, so I’m back for a second visit to lay the foundations.
I’m travelling solo, so although personal safety is paramount, this is an incredible opportunity to notice, tune in and learn from others, make connections and start conversations. So I’m staying curious and inviting story telling where I can.
This morning, my Uber driver gave me an opportunity to practise listening – something we don’t do enough in today’s high-speed, high tech world. And it was a sobering story.
Originally from Rwanda, his parents had been killed in the war many years ago. He and his seven siblings had to flee from their village. They couldn’t walk on the roads because they were shot at, so they trekked 700km [nearly 450 miles] through forest and across land before finding a camp.
He had seen many killings in his young life and some cynics may now be thinking “so did you give him a tip?” I just listened, let him speak slowly until his story ended and shook his hand. He thanked me for that connection - stories like that, and the view from Table Mountain, certainly puts life in perspective.