As the captained vessel creeps forward slow, panic spreads across me and starts to build. Upon greater introspection I should have realized that without the necessary courage, it would prove difficult to survive the safari cruise.

With outstretched arms and hands opened full, I shield from view the individual dangers surrounding me. Out of sight, out of mind. The reprieve settles my paranoia for a moment but offers no real protection.

Beyond my reach, a cacophony of argumentative creatures prattle on in a indecipherable language foreign to my own. Assumptive reasoning fills in the blanks. I know what they want. Their intentions are clear. In this world, one is either the hunter or the hunted.

The parroted squawk of a toucan’s beak hurls taunts in my direction. The innocence projected from his bright colored feathers is overshadowed by a deafening racket of vocalization. In the background, the bass filled hum of a tiger’s growl warns of his predatorial greatness. Hidden from view in the cavernous darkness, chocolate colored vampire bats hang waiting for the opportunity to swoop into action.

Out of desperation, I call out to the nearby captain hoping his wisdom will prevail. His familiarity with the area is far superior to my own. Feeling his oats, he instead responds with a sinister grin.

There was a time when traveling along similar landscapes offered secluded protection from a world filled with dangerous pitfalls. After my life took an unexpected turn, the safest of locales proved threatening. The internal struggles to live up to established protocols made the simplest of tasks challenging. Any shortcoming on my part inflicts more damage than most ever realize.

Self awareness is required to survive. Without it, an innocent trip down the cereal aisle at a supermarket leads to enough ingested sugars to worsen the ravaged effects of my diabetes diagnosis.