Born on the Serengeti During a Famine
There were 8 of us born that November, emerging with wobbly enthusiasm into a real estate world that is much like the Serengeti. Within days, we had said our goodbyes and joined with larger groups of Serengeti veterans. Ominous clouds loomed on the horizon, but we were too delighted with the newness of the world to notice. I spent those first few months learning all I could with a steady, patient mentor. While he was not a wildly successful hunter, he was an excellent teacher.
After a couple of months, I gained steady footing and was soon able to tackle the tasks of the day on my own. After the first few months, I was the top hunter in my group. Life on the Serengeti seemed wonderful. Then a funny thing happened. Perhaps I grew too fast, because I suddenly realized that I didn't quite fit into this pack. It was time to find a new home. By this time, half of those I'd entered the Serengeti with were gone.
I joined a much larger group of hunters that I had admired from a distance. The group was huge, and the learning curve was steep. Nevertheless, I was ruthlessly determined to survive. By the end of that year, I was a full fledged hunter. I even earned my group's most coveted award, the golden eagle award. Now only one of my "siblings" was left on the Serengeti.
In Spring of my second year, the rains did not come. Dry winds blew across the Serengeti, and even the veteran pack members were growing concerned over the lack of food. It didn't seem much different to me, so I just kept hunting with the same dogged determination that had helped me survive my first year. Soon veteran hunters were succumbing to the famine sweeping across the Serengeti. Entire herds vanished. The famine did not end.
The landscape is desolate now, and none of my "siblings" hunt the Serengeti anymore. Still, I remain.
How can a fledgling survive such an enduring famine, when experienced hunters fall?
I had an advantage. I was born in the beginning of catastrophe, and I learned to hunt during the very worst of times. Famine is all I have ever known. The spring rains are only legends to me, but if they ever come again, I will be ready.
Are you prowling the Serengeti with me? Participate in the Challenge to celebrate the new book by Stefan Swanepoel.
Surviving your Serengeti: An ActiveRain Challenge
Take the quiz to see which animal you are.
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