There is a CAMEL in the TENT. This reminds me of a story that did not make it into the book...
I remember a story from 1001 Arabian Nights, a parable about the Nose of the Camel.
At the beginning of my informatics journey, I asked my mentor John Sbarbaro MD back in 1997 whether I should accept the 10% FTE I was being offered to be “Physician Liaison to the IT department.”
I thought: this is not enough protected time to do what needs to be done (1/2 day per week). I discussed this with my mentor. His response? “This is your nose of the camel.”
“What? What does that even mean?”
“CT, haven’t you read Scheherazade? 1001 Arabian Nights?”
“Ummm”
He recounted the tale to me.
In the desert, a young boy receives a camel as a birthday gift. He loves this camel very much. As night falls, the sandstorms come up, and the boy and his parents sleep inside the tent while the camel sleeps outside. He feels bad for his camel and asks if the camel can sleep inside with them. “Absolutely not” indicates the father.
The next day, the father heads off on a hunting trip. That evening the boy asks his mother “The sandstorm is bad out there. Could you let my camel into the tent? Maybe just the nose? That way he could breathe.” The mother agrees. “Yes, but JUST THE NOSE.”
The next night, the boy asks “The sand is blowing so hard, could we put my camel’s head inside the tent? It is so bad for his ears and eyes.” The mother agrees. “OK, JUST THE HEAD.” Over the following nights, the camel’s neck, then front legs come into the tent. Eventually, the camel sleeps in the tent and the family is outside.
“This” said my mentor “is your Nose of the Camel.”
I took the job.
I’m amazed that there is a literal CAMEL and a literal TENT at Epic UGM today. Astounding. Thanks for the memories.
Want more stories like this? Read my book!
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