Two Weeks in Africa: Lessons (and Images!) I’ll Never Forget

I just returned from two weeks in Tanzania and Rwanda, and I’m still constantly thinking about the images, sounds, and lessons from the trip. Going wasn’t easy—I worried about leaving work, about being far from home if an emergency came up, about stepping away from the responsibilities that usually keep me tethered. But I went anyway. And it was incredible.

What struck me most wasn’t just the sweeping landscapes or the thrill of seeing animals in the wild (though those things blew me away!). I was most touched by the families — the way love and care show up across species, obviously for protection and survival but so many of the animals we saw with babies - elephants, baboons, lions, cheetah and definitely gorillas and chimpanzees - showed love to their offspring that seemed beyond the bare minimum.

*All the photos and videos in this newsletter were taken by me. (Seriously! We were that close!)

In Tanzania, we watched two lionesses with seven cubs tumbling and playing in the grass. Lioness mothers don’t just raise their own babies — they nurse and care for all the cubs together. One mama would nudge a cub toward play while the other kept watch, they didn’t seem focused at all on whose cub was whose. And of course elephant mamas are known to serve as aunts, taking turns watching napping calves and protecting them together. Watching elephants play was definitely a trip highlight.

Later, in Rwanda, I sat so close to a mama gorilla that I could see the gentle rise and fall of her baby’s chest as she cradled him. She held him the waywe do, with tenderness and total focus that literally brought me to tears.

Over and over again, I saw the same story: all mamas love their children. And in that love, there’s resilience, community, and an instinct to protect and defend them. Everyone knows not to get between a baby animal and its mama!

The trip itself was a lesson in taking a leap of faith. The logistics were tricky, and stepping away from my daily life felt uncomfortable at first. But being away reminded me why we work so hard in the first place — not just to keep life running, but so we can pause, breathe, and live fully, embracing new experiences. I came home energized, grateful, and with a deeper sense that doing the hard thing is worth it.

Maybe for you, the “hard thing” isn’t trekking into the Rwandan mountains or navigating flights across continents. Maybe it’s starting something new, saying yes to an opportunity, or trusting yourself in an unfamiliar chapter. Whatever it is, I hope you’ll remember this:

Yes, it might be hard.Yes, it might stretch you.But the rewards — the growth, the joy, the vitality — are worth it.

I did the hard thing. And I came back not just safe, but stronger.

Here’s your reminder: say yes to the thing that scares you a little — the thing that asks you to stretch. Whether it’s an adventure across the world or a change close to home, doing the hard thing might just lead you to the most extraordinary parts of your life.