The Elephant Diaries with Iris Canham

There is an African folk tale told about an Elephant Woman. She is bathing in the river and has taken off her elephant skin.
A hunter is watching close by and admiring her beauty. After finding her beautiful elephant skin in the forest, he hides the hide. As she leaves the river and goes into the forest, she searches for her skin without success. The hunter who had taken it and hid it promises her new clothes, takes her in, and marries her. Life is good for a short while but she has that deep longing for her skin. Her skin represents a great part of who she is.

In a drought when the food supplies are low, she goes into the silo and at the bottom of the silo laid her skin. She simply slips into it, and returns to live in the forest as an elephant.

I love this story for many reasons , not just because of my deep love for elephants but it resonates with me so deeply. There came a time in my life when I had to walk away from a relationship that imprisoned me and held my soul captive. I knew that staying because it served me in my comfort zone was robbing others of who I truly am, but I was too fearful of change at the time. The empty silo represents a very unfortunate incident in my life which I will blog about that had to take place for me to finally find my skin, put it on and walk away.

My blog represents my experiences, thoughts and actions as I navigate through this life with the aim of learning, growing, sharing and striving to create the highest expression of myself. I want to be the best I can be and become who I am meant to be and journey with others in this human experience.

I give an honest, open expression and experience of some things but I do have a minor. If you know me personally, my expressions and sharing is meant for healing and helping people grow, not to fuel gossip, bully or whisper behind my daughter's back. I am an Elephant, a matriarch and will stop at nothing to protect my young- my own child and the children who have come to embrace me as a mom.


Now that we are clear on that, apart from being an elephant, I am Iris Canham, Transformation Catalyst/ Early Childhood Educator/ Author/ Mother/ Community Development Consultant committed to the transformation of communities. I am passionate about making a difference in Education, Health, Community Upliftment and bringing sectors of society together to develop solutions. I work with children, young children and teenagers in helping them RISE to their potential.