I spent part of my weekend at a camel farm. Not a sentence I expected to say at this stage of my life, but here we are.
I got to stand beside these ancient, majestic creatures, touch them, look into their eyes, and even lay across one of them for a while. These animals weigh somewhere between 2,000 and 2,500 pounds, the weight of a car! Yet the energy coming from them felt oddly calm, grounded, and deeply present.
Some had one hump. Some had two. One was only three years old. Another age nine. And the rest were in between those ages. But they all carried this old-world energy, and I was lucky enough to spend time at the farm with them and experience a small glimpse into their world.
What struck me most was their demeanor. These massive creatures seemed almost unaware of their own power. They could have commanded the whole space just by existing, and honestly, they kind of did. But there was also this innocence and goofiness to them.
They let me close. They let me look into their eyes. They gave me a glimpse into their world, with all its comedy, drama, attitude, curiosity, and strange little camel behaviors. Watching them casually eat part of the apple tree in the farmyard like it was the most normal afternoon snack in the world was its own little joy. And no, not one of them spit, these camels were too happy for that.
My favorite parts were showering them with the hose, watching their joy in the water and quietly being with them. At one point, I rested my forehead against one of theirs, and it felt like we were communicating somehow through love and energy. Not in a “the camel revealed the secrets of the universe to me” kind of way. More in the simple, grounding way living beings sometimes connect when nobody is trying too hard.
Later, laying across one of them in the shade, I felt so calm and peaceful I could have fallen asleep right there. For a little while, I felt outside of myself too. My brain got quiet enough to stop narrating life and actually experience it.
I think part of healing is remembering how to be present enough to feel awe again. Real awe. The kind that pulls you out of your everyday routine, quiets all the chatter in your head, and reminds you there is still mystery here.
I felt drawn to the experience before I had any real explanation for it, which is usually how the best things seem to find me. I saw it, felt an immediate yes, and the next thing I knew, I was there. I may not have understood why at the time, but sometimes we recognize something before we can explain it. And sometimes the body understands the impact of an experience before the mind has words for it.
That afternoon is still with me. The stillness. The trust. The strange, beautiful feeling of being close to something so powerful and so gentle at the same time. And yes, somehow, that became part of my wellness journey too. I did not see that one coming.
A Camel Farm….who would have thought! And to be up close and personal with a “giant ” of an animal ,,the excitement you radiated in your description came through so loud and clear, I swear I could feel it too! What fun, thanks!