The Camel - A Noble Beast

I'm on a diet: no fatheads.

-Utah Phillips

Don't worry. It may never happen.

-Quote on a small, antique dish

Recently, I bonked my noggin on a tree at Vail (while wearing a helmet) sustaining a concussion and an ensuing incident (that I won't detail here) resulted in a neck injury that has almost passed. Physically, I was miserable and mentally I was torturing myself over whether I'd be OK, particularly because I was experiencing weird physical sensations on my right side.

Mom suggested that I stop putting energy toward what I don't want and start focusing on what I do want. Steve urged me to "be positive" after watching me spiral into a pit of worry every time my symptoms acted up. It wasn't good for me or Steve.

This loving advice led to an aha! flash that I was trying to use my brain to understand my pain - a completely futile effort that only made me more unhappy. With this realization, I decided to stop creating stress through negative thinking. Since then, I have been on a positive diet - good thoughts, words and actions.

Let me tell you, it rocks! I'm having a great time. It lifts quite a burden when you no longer are responsible for making negative comments or thinking negative thoughts. My brain is now free to casually observe that my chair at work is All Wrong and seems to be extending the neck injury by stressing my shoulders.

On that note, here are a few interesting facts about the noble camel:

1. Long eyelashes and bushy eyebrows help keep sand out of their eyes.
2. They are referred to as the ships of the desert.
3. A camel's nostrils can open and close to protect it from the harsh desert environment.
4. A camel's hump is made of fat, not water.
5. Arabian Camels are Dromedaries and their two-humped cousins from Asia are Bactrian Camels.
6. Camels have two toes.
7. A camel's mouth is tough, allowing it to gnaw on thorny desert plants.