The straw didn't break the Camel's back...

I take issue with the phrase "It was the straw that broke the camel's back."

The poor camel gets a pretty bad rap here. First we load her down with baggage, then just when she thinks she's found balance we add some straw on top and call her weak. Because she couldn't handle that last little bit. Because we forgot to realize that she has been hauling around all this weight and might already be tired. I think maybe that camel saw an out. Maybe the camel got tired of carrying around everyone's crap and just bailed.

I digress...

Venting is a healthy and normal part of life and friendship. We need to vent, to let out steam, to burst into a room, guns blazing screaming "Fuck this noise!" It's true. It feels good.

But there is a balance that must be struck. We have all been involved with someone who exhausts us. Leaves us wishing for that out, that injury, that ear sprain that prevents us from catching a piece of straw and losing it entirely.

The beauty that is inherent in friendship is that it is fluid. A constant and balanced exchange that keeps us teetering on the edge of sanity and stops one end from tumbling in. We all need to be able to carry the load as much as we all deserve the right to break down.

If you can't break down. If you don't have that out. If you don't have that camel who you can sometimes rely on when you're in an emotional desert, then you become a weak link. Eventually you get tired and dried up.

On the other hand:

If you can't listen. If you don't create that space. If you don't accept the weight of a friend who has been walking too long and could use a rest, then you become oppressive. A weight. Eventually you run out of people to walk alongside.

So take an inventory of your venting and think about who you need to thank for carrying you or who you could shoulder a little more weight for. Good friends are rare in this world, and the last thing you want to do is end up in the desert alone.

And let's leave Cliche the Camel alone.