Elly the Elated Elephant

Vacations that Matter has a new blog mascot, Elly the Elated Elephant!!! Follow Elly around the world as she travels with families and participates in the volunteer service projects. So why did we select an elephant to be our mascot? Because Elephants are one of the few animals who are nuturing and take care of their young. Mothers and other family members are in almost constant affectionate contact with the young, providing guidance and assistance.

Also, being a hindu, I grew up praying to Lord Ganesha (the God with the elephant head). The elephant head is symbolic of auspiciousness, strength and intellectual prowess. Ganesha is the Lord of success and destroyer of evils and obstacles such as vanity, selfishness and pride. He is also worshipped as the god of education, knowledge, wisdom and wealth. The elephants large head is symbolic of the wisdom and intellect. The large ears, like the winnow, sift the bad from the good. They also represent listening skills and being attentive to all requests, be they humble or powerful. The small mouth in comparison to the large ears convey that we should speak less and listen more.The elephant trunk is a symbol of efficiency and adaptability as it can be used to push down a massive tree or pick up a few blades of grass. And the eyes represent focus and concentration. The tusk (Ganesha only has one) represents retaining everything that is good and destroying what is evil. And last but not least, the large belly is symbolic of the teaching that we should peacefully digest everything that is good and bad in our day to day lives and may the sweets that fill that belly represent the sweetness that we experience in life through our faith.

So, meet Elly. She is elated to have the opportunity to travel the world, meet new people, and make a difference. She is expecting to have lots of fun!!! Her very first adventure will begin in a few short days as she travels to Puerto Vallarta, Mexico. Come back soon to read all about her adventure.