The Giraffe in the Sky

The Giraffe in the Sky, an ancient Bushmen tale

A long, long time ago when the heavens and earth were created, the story goes that all of the animals had a unique and special purpose, except for Giraffe...

Giraffe wanted to be useful but he had no real skills to set him apart from the other animals. Instead, he was tall and clumsy, and spent his days staring up at the sky, lost in his own sadness.

The other animals wondered what they could do for Giraffe. Then one day, they realized that Giraffe could do something for them – precisely because he was so tall and was always staring at the sky.

In those far-off days, the Sun often got lost in the high, wide heavens. It bumped up and down, wandered from side to side, and needed someone or something to guide it along its true celestial path.

So Giraffe was put to work watching the Sun, and guided it through the sky. From sunup to sundown, Giraffe stretched his long neck and stared at the sky, making sure the Sun never lost its way again.

Giraffe was very happy to have finally found a purpose, and he did such a good job that in his honor, some stars were rearranged in the sky so that they would always point in the direction of the Sun.

We call this constellation the Southern Cross but long, long ago it was known as Giraffe. So look up at the night sky, muse upon the Southern Cross, and know that everyone has a purpose. Even Giraffe.

(via Fair Trade safaris)

(images via Y Nakanishi and JungleDragon)