Elephants!!!!

Where to begin with this perfect little gem of a day?? I've decided to try and do a "today's moment of life"  each day, as that may be more manageable once I get into my program,  and perhaps even a tad inspiring? I will describe one specific moment where I felt completely present and full of gratitude. (I'm inspired here by Jon Stewart's moment of Zen).

Today's moment of life: After spending my initial moments timidly petting Nam Puan, a beautiful,  blind 68 year old rescue elephant, she poked me from behind, seeking a banana. Her wet trunk moistened my back and tickled my spine as it arched in fear and excitement.  She nudged further and while giggling,  I leaned in closely,  placed a banana in her mouth, and put my arms around the magnificent creature so playfully accepting of me. Nothing else in the world existed in that moment.  It was perfect.  And then it passed. On to the next!

Aly and I were both rather nervous at first. We ended up really paling up with our three pachyderms though. We went to Elephant Nature Park, one of the few ethical sanctuaries around (no riding! ), and participated in an intimate day with Nam Puan, Tilly and Ba'nyen. There were 6 of us tourists (4 from Chicago! ) and three elephants.  We fed them, walked at their leisurely pace wherever they wanted to go, crossed a river while they cooled down and just had lots of elephant loving time. The park was spectacular- completely gorgeous and all about letting the elephants be free. Through positive reinforcement ENP has rescued 34 elephants,  never using chains or a whip or stick to force them into anything. The elephants roam free, eat alllllll the time and take care of one another. It's the perfect example of pure beauty.

There was a baby elephant (9 months) and it was amazing to see the herd gather round to protect her when she saw us coming and got spooked (pictured!). You couldn't even tell she was there within one minute of her running out of the water. We also saw her bathe and playfully step on top of her aunt while doing so. Adorable.

Tilly and Nam Puan were buds. Nam was blind and Tilly always looked out for her. When she went down to bathe, she made sure to let Nam know. Her sweet melody can travel up to a mile, but that wasn't necessary in this case. The sounds were incredible,  unlike anything I'd imagine coming from an elephant.  Ba was a bit more free spirited. She was FAST and danced to the beat of her own drum. So obviously,  I loved her :)

There was also an unexpected white water rafting element of the day, totally fun, but doesn't really compare to the beauties we spent the day loving. I miss them already!

*it may not seem like it, but I was extremely selective in the photos I used! After a short time at the park, I accepted that capturing the full beauty of any moment was simply not going to happen; so I settled for my best attempts.