Remember Timon and Pumbaa from The Lion King? Recall their problem-free philosophy? It was simple, really.
No worries for the rest of your days.
HAKUNA MATATA!
A catchy phrase that probably got stuck in your head. A mantra I surely need tattooed on my arm or displayed on Post-it notes around my house… as a constant reminder to chill the *bleep* out. No worries? For the REST of my days?? Man am I thirsty for a tall glass of that. (And I betcha I have a buttload of drinking buddies out there.)
Well did you know? This dynamic meerkat/warthog Disney duo has an adoptive nephew, and let’s just say — the optimism definitely did not skip a generation. He is a silly little honey badger who stars in our daughter’s favorite TV show. His name is Bunga, and he too has a motto for life.
ZUKA ZAMA!
In Swahili, zuka means “pop up” and zama means “dive in.” Big-toothed Bunga believes life is an adventure — filled with thrills. He chooses to enjoy the chaos and ignore the strife. Pop up. Dive in. Don’t sweat the small stuff.
Three imaginary African mammals, encouraging us to love the life we live. To turn that frown upside-down. To hang on tight and enjoy the ride. To stop and smell the roses. To quit pursuing happiness and… just… be… happy… for crying out loud!
OK, I know what you’re thinking.
Wait one second, Pumbaa! Turn on the news and watch your precious Hakuna Matata hightail it outta here.
Shut it, Timon! If you knew even two sentences of my story, you’d worry too.
Listen here, Bunga! I really want to punch Zuka AND Zama in the face. I have zero energy to pop or dive, let alone function like a normal human being, thank you very little!
And bless your naive heart, Nat… you know you’re psychoanalyzing a friggin’ cartoon, right?!
YET…. we want it. Naive Nat wants it. Even the nay-sayers want it. Thrills. More good days than bad. A little less stress. Joy. A silver lining. Faith that it’s going to be OK. A childlike, Disney-like spirit. We all want a Hakuna Matata, Zuka Zama life. Or year. Or day. Or couple of minutes. We do. So maybe, just maybe, we should stop chalking it up as make-believe and instead believe we can make it.
After all, it ain’t no passing craze.