The Wayward Camel

KEEP WRITING!

The camels all kneel down to have their respective burdens loaded upon their backs. Most are given moderate loads, and some are saddled with barely any weight at all. But a rare, few camels are loaded down with a tremendous burden, so great that the beast can barely rise to her feet.


The camels set off across the desert. It may seem as if the camel with the greatest burden is the weakest in the caravan, for she moves with heavy tread and even falters at times. And yet, this is the very camel that is being made the strongest.

Why was this camel burdened so? Was it by design? Did the men loading the camels see a certain strength in this camel, perhaps unseen by others? Were they being cruel? Or did a man say, "This camel looks exceedingly frail, so I shall give her the gift of a tremendous burden to carry, so that (if she does not break), she shall become the strongest of the lot. This I do out of love."



The truth is, we don't know why, nor does that concern us. Maybe writing has been a burden at times. Certainly life would be simpler if we were not so driven to arise before everyone else to get our thoughts down on paper or computer screen. Maybe things would be easier if we were not plagued with myriad racing thoughts, snatches of dialog, and stories screaming to be born. But would we really wish to be without this burden?

The fact is, we have been given this desire to write, and we shall carry it not only the first mile but the second mile as well.