The Cameelious Hump!

When you are depressed, sitting around your house moping is an open invitation to the dementors.  There is no day so long and a day when you have nothing to do.  Without a reason to get out of bed, I often don't.  So as I struggle with the edges of depression, I do something every night before I go to sleep: I think of at least one thing I can do productive the next day and one thing I can do for fun.  Work may be something simple, like organize a box of pictures, clean out a cupboard, or wash a couple of loads of laundry.  Fun may be to watch a movie or read a chapter or two of a favorite book.

Rudyard Kipling wrote a cute poem on this very topic.  He called it The Camel's Hump.  I remember reading it at a child.  I thought you might enjoy it as well.

The Camel's Hump

The Camel's hump is an ugly lump
Which well you may see at the Zoo;
But uglier yet is the hump we get
From having too little to do.

Kiddies and grown-ups too-oo-oo,
If we haven't enough to do-oo-oo,
We get the hump-
Cameelious hump-
The hump that is black and blue!

We climb out of bed with a frouzly head,
And a snarly-yarly voice.
We shiver and scowl and we grunt and we growl
At our bath and our boots and our toys;

And there ought to be a corner for me
(And I know' there is one for you)
When we get the hump-
Cameelious hump-
The hump that is black and blue!

The cure for this ill is not to sit still,
Or frowst with a book by the fire;
But to take a large hoe and a shovel also,
And dig till you gently perspire;

And then you will find that the sun and the wind,
And the Djinn of the Garden too,
Have lifted the hump-
The horrible hump-
The hump that is black and blue!

I get it as well as you-oo-oo-
If I haven't enough to do-oo-oo!
We all get hump-
Cameelious hump-
Kiddies and grown-ups too!

 

Picture of dementors from www.harrypotterwikia.com

Poem and picture of a camel from http://allpoetry.com/poem/8445287-The_Camels_Hump-by-Rudyard_Kipling