#23- Shukas

Last night I woke up in the middle of the night, shivering. As I often do, I had kicked off all my blankets and they were on the floor, too far for my sleep-addled brain to consider reaching. Good thing my trusty shuka was lying next to me. I covered myself with the warm shuka and fell blissfully back to sleep.

You may be asking yourself what a shuka is exactly. Well it is a short of a blanket type piece of fabric or cloth. The first time I encountered a shuka was in the Maasai Mara in Kenya in 2008. One of our guides and friends Wilson wore a red shuka almost every day. 

I was told on the trip that a shuka was a good thing to have during the cold nights in the Mara, so I bought one on our second day there. That was one of the best decisions of my life. That shuka kept me so warm during our stay in Kenya, through the cold nights that sort of took me by surprise.

But besides being a great thing to warm myself up with, the shuka stands as a reminder of my time in Kenya. Yes I have pictures, but my shuka is something I can touch and feel and remember all the good times I had on my trip, all the lessons I learned and the friendships that were made or that grew. Most of all it is a reminder of one of the greatest times of my life.

So I am grateful for my red and blue checkered shuka. I am grateful that it keeps me warm during cold nights. I am grateful for the people that made the shuka and that it has been with me through a lot of new and amazing experiences. Most of all I am grateful that my shuka is a memory that I can hold in my hands to remind me of all the great things I have had the honor of being a part of.