Did he spit?

Recently I sent this photo to a few friends, and the response that came back most often was, "Did he spit?"

When I impulsively kissed this camel in Morocco, the thought of the camel spitting never occurred to me.

This gentle animal, who was my transportation along the beach, sturdily navigated up and down steps, walked and trotted through boulders, and was sure-footed traipsing on uneven terrain and sand. I never even thought to be afraid of him, of riding on his back, nor of giving him a grateful kiss.

Yet many people told me they would have never kissed the camel because they had read that camels spit. Naturally, I googled "camels spitting" to learn that camels spit only when agitated and upset, and that they don't actually spit - when they get mad they will burp up some of their cud (the semi-digested contents of their fore-stomach); in this way they can completely cover the upper half of a human.

Co-ol! 

Which got me thinking: How often does fear hold us back from living our lives to the fullest?

How often do we stop short of doing something because we focus on what could go wrong instead of what could go right - staying in a job because it's "comfortable," staying in a relationship because it's "easier," hesitating to say what we really think because our friends/colleagues/ family may disagree?

How much of yourself are you losing by staying in your comfort zone - and not kissing the camel because you're afraid he'll spit?

Life constantly offers gobs of opportunities, if we choose to look and to seize them. Carpe diem, indeed..

It's not often that I'm in the presence of a magnificent camel and have the opportunity to ride on his back. He deserved a kiss - and no, he didn't spit! (If he had, however, I would have had another fun life story to tell!)

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©Catherine Borowski 2017
www.celebratingwealth.com

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