![]() Quick-witted vervet monkeys dash down from the trees to steal food through the open door of a tourist van. A few miles away elephants-which scientists are just now realizing may come from one of the oldest of the modern mammalian lineages-lumber toward a midday bath in a rain-swollen stream. In a grove of acacia trees a group of giraffes, members of a family of mammals that until 20 million years ago were small forest dwellers, nibble at the top branches. In the nearby Ngorongoro Crater a mother hippopotamus nuzzles her pink newborn in a muddy pond, while a pair of lions leisurely copulate along the roadside. Myriad mammal species graze, gallop, prowl, and wallow in this part of Africa. ![]() But the wildebeests are only part of the scene. Moehlman calls it "a place of pilgrimage." Indeed, no place on Earth offers a more spectacular abundance of our fur-bearing, breast-feeding brethren, especially when the wildebeests are on the march. Local Masai women regard the dune as a sacred fertility site. We feel connected to her because she's a fellow mammal." Her brain may not work like ours, but I think there's pain. "She must be feeling emotion, but there's no way to prove it," says Patricia Moehlman, the wildlife biologist who has brought me to Shifting Sands, a 12-foot-high (3.5-meter-high) dune that is itself slowly migrating across the plain. Then, as if in frustration, she charges two jackals on the sidelines of the kill. A few yards away, ears twitching, the mother stands helpless. Within moments it falls victim to the jaws of the hyena. But the inexperienced fawn makes a panicky turn. The mother slows and moves evasively to distract the hungry predator. But a closer look reveals details of high drama.Ī young Grant's gazelle suddenly dashes between the clusters of wildebeests, followed closely by its mother. From a distance the movement seems a serene and constant march toward the southeast, where recent rains have made pastures greener. Others walk with the distended bellies of imminent birth. It is wildebeest calving season, and many of those giant bearded antelope have newborns trailing them. ![]() I will rise to the challenge, rise above my doubts and fears, and rise to the top.From the top of Shifting Sands dune in the Serengeti Plain of Africa a million mammals are in motion. While I may be struggling right now, I plan to return from death ). While there are many definitions for the word, here are a few of my favorites:ħa: to move upward : ASCEND b: to increase in height, size, volume, or pitchĨ: to extend above other objects ex: mountain peaks rose to the westĩa: to become heartened or elated ex his spirits rose b: to increase in fervor or intensity ex: my anger rose as I thought about the insultġ0a: to attain a higher level or rank ex: officers who rose from the ranks b: to increase in quantity or numberġ1a: to take place : HAPPEN b: to come into being : ORIGINATEġ3: to exert oneself to meet a challenge ex: rise to the occasionĪ lot of this just really seemed to match with my goals for 2019. This is where english major friends come in very handy (thanks Lauren!). I knew thrive alone wasn’t enough, but I struggled to find the right compliment to it. In addition, I’ve had plenty of obstacles to overcome this past year, so to think of reaching my goals, even with these, gives me added hope. I don’t just want to grow, I want to flourish. I’ve made goals and to-do lists and move through life checking items off. What I’ve come to realize is that the last few years, I’ve been simply going through the motions. Once I read this, I instantly knew this was the right word for me. According to Merriam Webster dictionary, thrive means:Ģ: to gain in wealth or possessions : PROSPERģ: to progress toward or realize a goal despite or because of circumstances -often used with on To explain WHY I chose this word for this year, let me start with the definition of thrive.
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