Odin in Africa

A few months ago, Odin went on a spiritual quest to find himself. He had had a long conversation with his cousin Ben and seen first-hand how Ben's connection with his native land centered him. He decided he too needed to find his roots. So he went past his central Pennsylvania heritage, further past his Viking ancestry, all the way back to that cradle of felinization, Africa. There, in the home of the African wild cat, the cheetah, the leopard, and, of course, the lion, he hoped to find himself.

Because he did not know his way around Africa, he booked a tour on a photo safari in Tanzania and set out to see what he could see. And he saw many wondrous things.

He saw a family of zebras with their magnificent stripes.

But he did not find himself there.

He saw elegant giraffes, gracefully reaching up to nibble the tender acacia leaves.

But he did not find himself there.

He saw a majestic lion, regally surveying its territory and deciding what to have for dinner.

But he did not find himself there.

After the safari, he was tired and dusty and disappointed.

A nice man offered to give him a shampoo.

It felt very, very, very good, but he was still sad. He had not found himself.

But then he realized he had been looking for the wrong thing. He could not look for himself in Africa. He had to look for Africa within himself.

And with that revelation he went home to the midwest a much more content and self-actualized cat.

And he brought home some great pictures, too.