Sitting With Elephants : Lessons in Humility from the African Bush

A professor of communication and strategy reveals deep lessons from life in the African bush.

Sitting with Elephants is a heartfelt memoir that follows a middle-aged American professor and his wife as they trade suburban life for a remote bush house in South Africa. What begins as a spontaneous decision becomes a life-changing experience—one shaped by lions at the backdoor, baboons in the rafters, and above all, a herd of elephants who frequent their yard like neighbors.

Told through a series of emails to their adult children and brought to life by vivid illustrations from Abbey Ndlovu, Ronald Dulek’s narrative explores the profound lessons nature teaches: patience, humility, and deep respect for the wild. As the couple learns to communicate with elephants and navigate the rhythms of bush life, they also reflect on the unexpected beauty of slowing down and embracing the unknown.

Blending lighthearted anecdotes with moments of quiet insight, Sitting with Elephants invites readers into a story of transformation—both personal and environmental. This second edition includes expanded content with new stories and reflections, offering a deeper look into the couple’s unforgettable time in the African bush.

Ronald Dulek is the John R. Miller Professor of Management at the University of Alabama. He is author of Who Killed Keyboard? Lessons in Leadership and Email as well as eight other books and over fifty refereed academic articles.

Abbey Ndlovu, whose surname in Zulu means “an Elephant,” is a self-taught artist working full-time as a gate guard at Sabie Park Private Nature Reserve. Ndlovu’s work has been shown in local galleries; he is also the proud artist of the mural at Skukuza Primary school.  In his spare time, Ndlovu teaches art to children at the local village.