Singita

"Singita," reputedly a Burmese term meaning "place of miracles" — or, according to Webster's, "divine intervention in human affairs."  Hmmm ...

I like to think that what I witnessed at Kruger was divine because of my own irrelevancy, but I suspect this is not the case.  As I bumped and bounced along the very carefully mapped two-track roads of the Singita Lebombo concession, I was acutely aware that I was trespassing — intervening in the affairs of animals. Only the vehicle in which I rode, and the rifle mounted above the dash, permitted such adventure. Although we tried hard to be respectful, we humans — myself, my family, the trackers and guides — imposed.

It's true, humans have existed among these animals for a very long time; however, whether on foot or on wheels, armed with spear, intellect, or camera, humans have always intervened in the affairs of animals.  Some assert that this dynamic is divine — that humans, like animals, are governed by forces beyond our control.  Certainly I admit this possibility.

Certain mornings, my limbs are heavy as lead.  The result of poor diet — the bag of chocolate Kisses I consumed the night before — or perhaps it is gravity, the moon, or high tide.  Whatever the cause, my limbs are still lead.  It is this feeling — the physical sensation, good or bad, along with the astounding array of possible causes — that for me is divine.