Hello Sojourners,

I am back from Botswana, and what a great adventure. After almost a twenty-six-hour delay because of weather and three negative COVID tests, I finally arrived at one of the most pristine wildernesses on our planet, the Okavango Delta. Its beauty is both humbling and soothing to an urban soul. After this past year of being barraged by the sounds of fire trucks and ambulances screaming through the streets and police helicopters flying above, it was a welcomed relief to hear hippos, lions, and birds going about their animal thing. There were many times throughout my journey that I would pause to just listen. What a privilege it was to experience the sounds of nature untainted by cars, buses, sirens, and people yelling in the street. I have often said that I have my urban world to appreciate my bush world and vice versa. This statement was never more true than this last trip. You can check out my Botswana journey on Instagram or Facebook. Look under  @mariabaltazzi or @sojournexplorers.

Each edition of 8GT features topics on wellbeing, travel, and storytelling. Enjoy!

I hope you read something that inspires you!

P.S. US to Keep Covid Travel Restrictions in Place as Delta Variant Spreads +
A Country-by-Country Guide to Reopened Europe. I traveled to Botswana via New York and Johannesburg without incident. There were many places where there was hardly anyone in the airports. If you travel, take all the precautions: wearing a mask, hand washing, and sanitizing. You know the drill. Also, the places where I stayed took Covid protocols very seriously. If you are brave enough to travel now, you can find some fantastic deals and have the experience all to yourself or with relatively few people.

P.S.S. Please share 8 Good Things with your family, friends, and colleagues. 

Five Ways to Protect Your Emotional Health Post-COVID

Clinical psychological science offers some points that, in my opinion, can be used to protect your emotional health, whether there is a pandemic or not. One, set realistic expectations. Two, live in ways that are consistent with your values. Three, engage in rewarding activities. Four, ask whether this is a time to grow or preserve? Your perception of time can influence your goals and motivation. Five, acknowledge your privilege and pay it forward. If you are healthy, your emotional health will improve when you help others. Find out more in this article from GREATER GOOD MAGAZINE.

4 Lessons the Pandemic Taught Us About Work, Life, and Balance

This seven-minute, forty-one-second talk offers some helpful ways to look at today’s blurred lines between work and life. My biggest takeaway is that we are all adults. If we are responsible, we will get our job done. We do not have to sit in an office with someone watching over us to prove that we are working. Where there are goals, ambition, and incentives, things happen, decisions are made, projects will move forward and get accomplished. Discover this video from TED. 

How to Calm the Voice Inside?

There is a voice in your head that is repetitive and often negative. This mental negativity triggers an emotional upset that can eventually manifest in your body as a disease. Who wants that? Mindfulness practice helps you become aware of thoughts. You can name them when you do this, along with the attached emotions. This enables you to do something constructive about those thoughts. An insightful fourteen minutes, forty-four-seconds. Discover this video from ECKHART TOLLE. 

The Trick to Making Healthy Habits

It is called “snackable wellness,” the practice of breaking down goals into healthy, realistic, and manageable tasks. I have applied this to so many goals. Writing a thesis, creating a website, training for a marathon, and even climbing Kilimanjaro. My mom used to tell me a Greek saying, “bean by bean fills the bag.” So true. Discover this article from THE CUT. 

Embracing Ambition

This article is written by one of the faculty members from an Inner MBA program I completed earlier this year. The program was for entrepreneurs and leaders, sponsored by MindfulNYU and LinkedIn. The takeaway is a mindful one. To set goals without being attached to the outcome. Find out more in this article from TEN PERCENT HAPPIER. 

The 26 Most Adventurous Experiences Around the World

This article is for those ready to get out into the world or for those happy just to dream. I am proud to write that I have, more or less, done the top six on the list. One, climb to Machu Picchu, Peru. Two, hunt for glaciers in Greenland. (I did this in Antarctica.) Three, hot air balloon over Cappadocia, Turkey. Four, swim the Great Barrier Reef. Five, climb Mount Everest. (I trekked to Base Camp, and that was enough for me.) Six, go on a canoe safari in the Okavango Delta, Botswana. My last adventure! Get inspired by the other twenty.

Discover this article from CONDÉ NAST TRAVELER. 

While this article was published in March, I share it now, having just returned from safari. If this is on your list to do and you are willing to jump through the hoops of Covid travel, you will be rewarded with camps practically to yourself, if not wholly. I stayed at two luxury safari camps that had no other guests. And I can assure you, the staff was very strict about sanitizing hands every time you came into camp after a game drive. Everyone wore face masks in the public areas. All food was served at individual dining tables or in your tent. I felt completely comfortable and safe while I visited four camps in Botswana. The safety protocols never took away from my experience.
Discover this article from TRAVEL+LEISURE. 

The Haunting Afterlife of Anthony Bourdain

Three years later, the loss of Anthony Bourdain is still sorely felt. I was surprised to read that this creative, hard-living, globetrotting, food celebrity and mega-show host was ultimately looking for what we all want, happiness. You can have all the external riches. However, true happiness is an inside job. Read how Bourdain was the hero and villain of his life and the making of the documentary out now. [Thank you for sharing Mike Miller.]
Discover this article from THE NEW YORKER. 

A photographic safari you will always remember. Like a true explorer, you will experience these wild environments from different perspectives to give you a holistic understanding of the wildlife and their home. Our adventure includes mindful bush walks, tranquil canoe paddles, and awe-inspiring game drives. The day ends with a ‘mindful meditation and movement’ sundowner. Afterward, you can always top off the moment with the old explorer’s drink of choice, gin and tonic!

A perfect place to rest between game drives or gaze at the millions of stars at night. Duba Plains is set on an 81,000-acre private reserve. The game viewing is spectacular. The staff is welcoming and gracious.

One of the most heavenly places to wake up while listening to the distant sounds of hippos taking their morning bath. Zarafa means “the lovely one” in Arabic. Truly this word defines the camp here. 

Picture Perfect

Painted Wolves

Botswana is one of the best places to see wild dogs (a.k.a. painted wolves) roaming free. Among the stories I did on my first adventure to Africa for a show called Wild Things was one about these guys. They are the largest wild canine in Africa and, unfortunately, on the critically endangered species list. There are less than 5,000 left in the world. Spending time with them felt a bit like coming home. That moment in time so long ago forever changed me. I feel very grateful to be here again. Now I use my producing skills to design and guide trips to this part of the world through Sojourn Explorers.

Some fun facts:

Wild dogs are known for their “painted” fur coat, which is unique to each dog, like fingerprints. They grow to about 3-feet and weigh 55 to 60-pounds. Their legs are longer than most domestic dogs, with four front toes and big rounded ears.

They hunt in a pack, splitting up to chase their prey. The wild dogs can run like crazy with incredible stamina. You can barely keep up with them in a vehicle. Working as a team, these wild dogs can take down almost any of Africa’s antelopes.

At home, in their den, the adult wild dogs stand watch from different lookout points. Meanwhile, the pups eat, play, and sleep. 

These guys are so entertaining to watch. I was happy to see that Great Plains Conversation is home to several vibrant packs across their 81,000 acre (33 hectares) private reserve. The reason this reserve and the camps on it exist is to protect and preserve the wildlife here.

Thoughtful

“I never knew of a morning in Africa when I woke up that I was not happy.” 
~ Ernest Hemingway

Stay safe. Stay well.

ABOUT

Every three weeks, we bring you eight big ideas to help you live better.

Each edition selects topics that reflect The Sojourn Experience’s desire to serve the greater good, both inwardly and outwardly. We are a conscious-centered company with three portfolio brands. The first is Picture Happiness: Take a Shot, which focuses on the art and science of happiness and mindfulness. The second is Sojourn Explorers, which curates transformational travel experiences to extraordinary places around the globe. Part of the money for each trip goes to nonprofit organizations we support. The Sojourn Media Group looks to create partnerships with writers, producers, and directors to get their projects sold to production companies and various platforms.

Special thanks to Astrid Martin, article and video content research, and Michael Tobias, editorial review and formatting, for their ongoing contributions to
8 Good Things.

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