Haynes - Learning to play with a lions testicles : unexpected gifts from the animals of Africa

Authors Note

Grief is an insanely powerful emotion. It is usually paired with guilt, and when combined they can make even the sanest people do insane things. Everybody has their own way of dealing with things, and thats all right. Hindsight is 20/20, but when in the midst of it all, we can be blinded by emotion. Grief is illogical. Grief is excruciatingly painful. With time, grief fades and logic returns but, sadly, sometimes when the anchor of a family is wrenched away, the ones remaining drift apart. But even without an anchor, a strong family unit can better navigate the rough seas ahead. With sails of benevolence and a rudder of empathy, any storm can be conquered.

After my mum died, I filled my life with distraction after distraction to avoid facing grief. Eventually, no distraction would suffice, and I needed more. I needed meaning. I needed purpose. But I didnt know how to find it until one day, when I sat a few feet in front of Bill Clinton during his Giving tour. Despite feeling like I had nothing in me to give, he inspired me to give it away anyway. I followed my passion for animals and Africa, and threw caution to the wind. That is when the magic happened, a magic that I could have never foreseen in my wildest dreams.

Giving is as simple as smiling at a stranger, donating food, blood, or a few hours to the community. What we can give away at no cost to us is lifesaving to someone else.

The act of giving is what is saving thousands of species from extinction; in fact it is the ONLY thing that is saving these animals from extinction. Volunteers give millions of hours every year to conserve our glorious planet and all the magnificent beings within it. Volunteers are Mother Natures Ambassadors, but I prefer to just call them angels. My contribution in Africa was tiny; I am not an angel in any shape or form. In fact, the Drill Sergeant would probably have a much more colorful way to describe me, but my experience did lead me to this book.

I set out to write this book with three goals in mind. The first was to entertain just one reader. So if one readers hair stood on end and felt a lion breathing down his neck, or if she cringed when envisioning a great white shark smashing his jaws just inches in front of her face, then I have succeeded.

The second goal was to impart the fragility and importance of family. If one family stays together after the loss of a loved one, or if one person finds the courage to face grief and leave behind guilt, then every drop of sweat that went into this book was worth it.

The final goal was to inspire just one reader to volunteer in whatever capacity he or she has, whether its in their community, or across the globe. If just one person experiences the magic of giving, the world will swell with joy, and we will all be the better for the effort.

If you want to volunteer, start with your passion and see where it takes you. Maybe it will lead to saving gorillas in Uganda, cheetah in Botswana, great white sharks in South Africa, or providing leadership at your local Boys and Girls club. These are some of the organizations I have volunteered with and/or support.

http://www.edgeofafrica.com

http://www.bigfivevolunteer.com

http://www.theexpeditionproject.com

http://www.nourish.org.za

http://www.whitesharkafrica.com

http://www.pacificwhale.org

http://www.shark.org

http://www.cheetah.org

http://www.govolunteer.ca

http://www.davidsuzuki.org

Acknowledgements

This book would not have been made possible without the generous support and encouragement of so many amazing, wonderful people. Id like to acknowledge a few of them here.

In Africa: Roger Wynn-Dyke of The Expedition Project, Dayne Davey of Edge of Africa, Kim and Hein at Umkhondo Big Five Volunteer Project, Melaniemy Kindred Spirit in South Africa, Ryan Roberts, The Drill Sergeant and Kittibon who had the tenacity to slap me every day until I finally woke up.

This book would have never been finished if it werent for the unlimited support of some incredible friends. Juani and Cuchi, Judy, Betty, and Pilarthank you for your wisdom and faith. To Paul; those three words are not enough.

Samantha, my big sis who is also my best friend, thank you. Will and Jackmy most attentive listeners at bedtime. CW, thank you for everything. William Landay, Best Selling Author, thank you for the direction.

To KM and HW, the support of life-long friends makes anything possible. To Anne Opotowsky, author and editor, thank you for your editing expertise. To Moksha Yoga, you brought stillness and clarity when I needed it. Namaste.

To the people who have brought this book to you, the reader, words can not express my eternal gratitude; Maryann Karinch of the Rudy Agency, whose patience goes unmatched, and Lynn Price, of Behler Publications; what an honor that you believed in me enough to publish my first book, thank you.

And finally to my mother and father who taught me the value of hard work and encouraged me to take chances. I love you, this book is for you.

Author Bio

Melissa Haynes created and orchestrated successful national campaigns for major corporate players, and opened and ran a prosperous business in Mexico. Her project management experience landed her a handful of Olympic contracts for the 2012 Winter Olympics. She ghostwrote a column about entertaining in the Vancouver Courier for years and a chapter in the award-winning chefs cookbook Inside the Recipe Box. She is a self-admitted chronic adventure junkie and travel addict. She is passionate about animals, adventure, conservation, and scribbling. Her greatest accomplishment and adventure to date was volunteering in Africa and living to write about it.

Night One at the Ritz

What was that? Melanies scream awakens me. Fear freezes me. We are both silent, and then I hear what she hears; something snorting and thrashing against her tent. My heart throbs as I strain to identify the sounds just inches away. What is it? A buffalo? Rhino? Lion? Elephant? Anaconda?

Help! Melanie shrieks.

Stay calm. Is your backpack handy? I try to use a soothing tone while fighting back my own fears. Whats worse is that I flash back to the brownies, the little squares of heaven that I discarded just outside our tentstheir scent so alluring that it has beckoned an African monster to our camp. The German journalist I convinced to spend two nights with me on a wildlife conservation project, where I will spend several weeks, is now just moments away from being eaten alive.

Melanie and I met just ten days ago on an elephant conservation project. We spent long days collecting elephant behavior data and even longer nights sharing our dreams and fears. But most of all, we shared a friendship that could only be born in a place like this, a place where life and death are only a few breaths apart and where survival is more than just instinctits a privilege.

Leg two of our volunteer project brought us deep within the worlds most dangerous townships, where we naively believed we would be teaching HIV infected children. However, it was the children who turned out to be the teachers, and us the captivated students.

The final leg of my volunteerism journey found me on a wildlife reserve, where Im now in the position of becoming prey to the very animals we are here to protect. And I have nothing to blame for our pending demise but my sugar addiction.