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Lessons from a Camel
I’ve been to 25 counties already, but I happened to saw a camel for the first time a few months ago, in Marrakech. I am from Panama, a tropical country with no Camels - despite of the heat.
It was hard for me to get out of the initial sock and amazement of seeing that animal right in from of my eyes. It was weird not having to watch it through a screen on Discovery Channel.
The only thing that took me out of the hypnotic state was the sound of the deep roar coming out of his throat that later ended up taking my sight directly into his eyes. We saw each other. We somehow clicked. I saw his eyes. So old. So wise.
After climbing to his back, I started making a not so obvious connection in my head. A connection I never felt before with an animal.
Once seated on his curved back, it was impossible for me not to think about “Journeying”.I started recalling in my mind all those times I left home and how much I have gained and learned in each one of those journeys even if it was a short one, even if it was only a journey to my inner self.
I could feel he was trying to show me his stories.In a millisecond I got inside his thoughts and memories. I could see him traveling for miles and back. I could do nothing but reflect about the past 5 years of my life and all my comings and goings.
I came to realize how physically and mentally tiring my journeys had been. I thought on how I had to fetch for strength and energy where there was none. This daunting trips were often filled with challenges, spiritual and psychological challenges. After some time traveling, it became mandatory for me to develop an endurance system that allowed me to keep my spirit up and to keep me going. Just as the Camel had.I also realized that most of these journeys have been very long and difficult, but have shaped me into who I am right now.
That’s the same thing I saw in his eyes and felt in his breathing and in his dried fur. He was trying to say it out loud with all the growls and bleats. I could feel it by how he moved.
All his temperance and strength he still had despite of the burden carried on his back over the years and that had paid off with nothing less than experience. I felt somehow understood but at the same time I felt respect and admiration for him.
I am grateful I met “Camel”; I’m glad I found him in Marrakech through the path of life. I had never paused to think about the importance of journeying and endurance as I did that day. I now know that the biggest and strongest lessons come from the journey itself, not from the destination.
