A Mothers Day Safari….

Travel Snippets94 Comments

Having plumbed the depths of love, guilt and sorrow in a 2012 tribute to my mother brought on by a visit to my childhood home, I pretty much ignored mothers day on this blog for the last two years.

Today, I take you on a lighthearted exploration of the maternal-filial bond with these four legged creatures, whose display of intense emotion was humbling to witness everytime.DSC_4737 copy 3

Behind all your stories is always your mother’s story.
Because hers is where yours begin.
~ Mitch Albom

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It’s not easy being a mother.
If it were easy, fathers would do it.”
~ From The Golden Girls-

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Mirror, mirror, on the wall, I am my mother after all!
~ Anon.

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My mother’s menu consisted of two choices:
Take it or leave it.
~ Buddy Hackett-

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If evolution really works, how come mothers
only have two hands? ~ Milton Berle
(This matriarch, incidentally, manages brilliantly with just one,
having lost the other in a poachers trap.)-

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Don’t ever tell the mother of a newborn
that her baby’s smile is just gas.
~ Jill Woodhull-

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Mothers are fonder than fathers of their children because
they are more certain they are their own.
~ Aristotle

And to all young two legged mothers out there, and especially to my dear frazzled daughter who I haven’t spoken to for five uninterrupted minutes ever since her second offspring learnt to speak:

A suburban mother’s role is to deliver children obstetrically once, and by car forever after.”
~ Peter De Vries

That too shall pass. But I can attest with some authority that you will be surprised by the intensity of your longing to be back in that driver’s seat when it does. Happy Mothers Day!

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Madhu is an Interior designer turned travel blogger on a long sabbatical to explore the world. When not crafting stories on The Urge To Wander, she's probably Tweeting @theurgetowander or sharing special moments on instagram.com/theurgetowander

94 thoughts on “A Mothers Day Safari….”

  2. That’s so beautiful. Love the pictures and the quotes. Mother’s are always special.

  3. Oh God. You spoke my heart. My girls are twenty &fifteen now and still the sweetest but I so long for those days when, to them, I was Goddess😏

  7. Lovely and warm shots, Madhu. And a bit late to congrat, but still! I never get used to the fact that we have different days- ours is this Sunday.

  9. Madhu, I love how you paired these memorable quotes with such gorgeous photos of motherhood in the wild. I haven’t seen any of these wondrous four-legged creatures save the simians. It all reminds me of a video where several candidates were called to interview for a job that was totally demanding, had no limit on work hours and was unpaid. The twist came when the interviewer revealed that it was what mothers do on a daily basis!

  10. Beautiful, endearing with great quotes. Thank you for the smiles, and photographic treats, Madhu. 🙂

  11. I’m a little late, Madhu, but I love these heartwarming photos, especially the elephants. 🙂 Adn the quotes are perfect; love the one from Buddy Hackett. 🙂 This was a beautiful and fun tribute to all Moms. Have a lovely weekend! ♥

  13. Dear Madhu,
    This is a wonderful post! Touching photos and I love the quotes. Best of all I love and relate to your own concluding thoughts about motherhood.
    Your quote from Milton Berle reminds me of the mother who wished to be an octopus with eight arms, the better to do damage control in the wake of her wild children. Her friend reminded her that if she had eight arms, so would her children, and there would be eight times the mess to pick up after them.
    I hope your Mother’s Day was a happy one, Madhu.
    Warmly,
    Naomi

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  18. This is one of those warm and fuzzy posts that I could go back to all day just to study those adorable and incredible creatures. The quotes are perfect., Madhu. Now I must read the guilt trip, too…like Jo. 🙂

  19. You had me from that first shot, Madhu! And oh, the elephants! Superb 🙂 I smiled in acknowledgement all the way through. (and now I have to go and read the guilt trip) I haven’t had a mum for 25 years so they tend to bypass me a bit, but my daughter sent me a very sweet gift this year (come to think of it, that might just have been guilt too 🙂 )

    1. Thank you Jo. My daughter lost her father in law the week before last and R had to undergo a minor surgical procedure in between so we have all been in a bit of a tizzy.

  21. Heartfelt and deeply sweet, Madhu—words and pictures both! Thank you. I hope your own Mother’s Day was the same. 🙂

    1. Thank you Riba. Mine wasn’t any different from any other day in my life 🙂 Will be meeting the children over this coming weekend though.

    1. They are mostly from Tanzania – Tarangire and Serengeti – except for the monkey from the Nilgiris and the Indian elephant with newborn from Nagarhole in Karnataka.. Pleasure to see you here Tricia.

  23. A wonderful collection indeed … and evidence that the special nature of mothers is bigger than people think.

    1. Thank you Uday. Hope all is well with you. Was wondering about the silence on your blog.

  30. What a lovely post. Beautiful photos, and great quotes. I (also?) had a fractious relationship with my mother so have more or less ignored Mothers’ Day since she died 13 years ago. It is a sweet thing to finally feel softly towards her. We all do the best we can, eh? Happy Mothers Day.
    Alison

    1. Mine wasn’t fractious Alison. We got along famously, but her life, and ours consequentially, was beset with tragedies. I carried around guilt for not having done enough for the longest time. Still go there sometimes. Thank you for stopping by to share your thoughts.

    1. I was counting on Fathers among my readers having a solid sense of humour 🙂 Thank you very much Randall.

      1. Randall, I think my comment on your latest post vanished into your spam folder. Would you retrieve it please?

    1. Thinking of her pain and fear makes me sick Gilly. But it is amazing how well she has adapted and that she hasn’t been pushed over by one of the younger females!

    1. Thank you Angeline. A bit less heat would have been perfect 🙂 Hope yours was great as well.

    1. Wish I could take credit Mallee 🙂 Thank you for reading and taking the time to comment.

    1. Thank you Shimon. We were fortunate to have stumbled upon those scenes. Happy to share the joy.

    1. We feel fortunate to have had the opportunity to witness those scenes Mary. Doubles my joy to share them with you 🙂

    1. I found those quotes through a Google search and just HAD to use them Meg. 🙂 Glad you enjoyed them as much as I did.

  43. Stunning and moving photos, indeed, Madhu. There is something so finely exquisite in seeing the maternal bond captured on film in the wild. It is raw, poignant and honest.
    The quotes are a perfect addition.
    I wish you and your daughter a day of great celebration and many more to follow!

    1. Thank you Shelley. It is indeed deeply moving to witness these interactions between animal mothers and babies, and I am grateful to have had the opportunity. Hope you had a fun day with your teens.

  45. What a wonderful way to give tribute to mother’s day. Kudos to your brilliant idea of picking up the nature, where nature and nurturing is the symbol of mother’s love and care.
    😀

      1. It reflects, lot of thinking and planning goes into your posts…
        Indeed so well conceptualized and beautifully presented.

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