Born for the Desert, Raised in a Cage – The Importance of Being in the Right Place

 

One lazy afternoon, under the filtered shade of a tree in a quiet corner of the zoo, a young camel lay curled beside his mother. The crowd had thinned. The air was still. It was just the two of them, soaking in the lull of another day behind the enclosure fence.

The baby camel, eyes wide and curious, turned to his mother and asked,
“Mama, why do we have these big humps on our backs?”

His mother smiled, gently nuzzling his forehead.
“That’s a good question, my love,” she said softly.
“We’re desert animals. These humps hold fat, which our bodies use to survive long days without water.”

The little one nodded slowly, then blinked at his long legs stretched out in front of him.

“Okay… then why are our legs so tall and our feet so round?”

“So we can walk for miles on hot desert sand without sinking,” she replied proudly. “Our feet are like soft snowshoes, and our long legs keep our bodies away from the burning ground.”

The baby squinted as a breeze stirred the dust. His long eyelashes fluttered and tickled his cheeks.

“And what about these super long eyelashes? Sometimes they get in my eyes and feel annoying.”

The mother chuckled softly.
“They’re meant to protect your eyes from sandstorms. Out in the desert, the wind can whip up sand so fiercely, you can barely see. These lashes act like curtains, shielding us.”

The little camel was quiet for a while.

Then, with a puzzled expression, he looked up again.
“So… we have humps for storing water, legs for walking on desert sand, and eyelashes to protect us from the wind… right?”

“Yes, exactly,” the mother said gently, sensing there was more.

“Then Mama…” he asked, eyes full of wonder and confusion, “why are we here? In a zoo?”

His mother looked away for a moment—her eyes distant, full of memories of a place she'd never seen but instinctively knew.
“Because sometimes,” she said quietly, “we’re born with all the right tools… but we end up in the wrong place.” 

The Lesson:

This simple conversation between a mother and her child carries a powerful truth:
Our gifts, talents, and strengths matter—but only when they’re used in the right environment.

You might be a brilliant thinker, a creative soul, a natural leader—but if you’re stuck in the wrong job, the wrong relationship, or the wrong mindset, those gifts can go unnoticed. Wasted.

Just like the camel, you were made for something more.

So ask yourself:

Am I using what I’ve been given in a place where it matters? Or am I just going through the motions in someone else’s cage?

_______

Out Of The Box July 09, 2025