I Stand Alone

I stand here day after day. I don’t see many people at all. Not that I can bring them much comfort, because I have such a prickly personality. I tend to stick the knife right in the center of their problems. I have a dry sense of humor.

Yet, what does one expect? I have no one to keep me company. I am not so up-to-date with social skills. My only company is the snakes that crawl around on their bellies looking for someplace cool, and the vultures that circle the sky looking for something to eat. Not many want to be around someone that can’t offer the best kind of comfort because all I can offer is little daggers to add to your problems.

It gets awfully lonely out here. The heat beats down on you 24/7. It’s enough to make any creature thirsty. There’s no water around here for miles. I guess I have it better than anyone, I don’t require a whole bunch of water.

The wind might blow occasionally, bringing in tumbleweeds. Such free spirits those tumbleweeds are, just going on to their next destination. Yet, I stand here alone. The tumbleweeds don’t even come to offer me any comfort. If I could, I would shed tears.

The tumbleweeds like to tease me. As they roll past me freely going wherever they wish, I realize I am stuck here. I am firmly rooted to the spot. There is no moving for me. Their taunts make me sad.

"Come with us! Have fun with us! Why are you standing there like a silly goose?"

"He's too prickly to come with us! No one wants a prickly cactus around!"

If only they knew how much they hurt me. It made me not want to have anyone around. I just ignore them when they come rolling in now. All I can do is shake my body in a way that shows my distress. No one comes to my aid though.

Who wants to help a cactus? No one. Everyone takes one look at me and turns away. They judge me before they know anything about me. I may be prickly on the outside, but I am soft on the inside. I can love if someone would give me a chance.

My arms are reaching up and out. Reaching for someone to come and give me some company. I want someone to tell me that if I just looked a little less intimidating people might hang around. If I could look different, I would. There’s no changing God’s creation unless He wants it to be different.

Suddenly I hear voices and footsteps. Someone is coming close!

“Kira, look here is a cactus!” a man yells.

Why is he happy to see me? I can do nothing for him. I am too prickly to be of assistance.

“Maybe we could get some water from it, William,” says Kira.

“We’ve walked for miles and not seen any water. I can’t even believe we are in this mess in the first place,” said William, exasperatedly.

The two people walking toward me looked to be in bad shape. Their clothes were torn and it looked like they had bruises. Oh, how they needed some comfort.

“I know, but I’m just glad we’re alive. It’s not our fault our house got broken into, and we got kidnapped,” Kira said, calmly.

“I suppose it is a good thing I found that latch that opens the trunk from the inside. There’s no telling what they would have done to us,” William said.

“It’s all luck. It was bad luck that we got kidnapped and robbed, but the good news is we found a cactus that has water stores. All hope is not lost,” Kira said.

“I have a thermos I stole from the trunk and a knife,” William informed her.

I could tell he was fumbling around in his pockets for something. There was a click from where he undid the thermos from his belt loops. Then there was a gasp, as he pulled the knife from his pocket. His wife was both glad and horrified at the fact he had it, no doubt worried he had cut himself while pulling it out. After seeing he was okay, she let out a huge sigh of relief.

William handed Kira the thermos. He knew their survival depended on how well they rationed out the water. He knew Kira generally didn’t need a whole lot to drink, but after walking miles in the desert; he wasn’t sure how much she would need. Likewise, Kira knew William liked to have plenty to drink, and this could provide them with a problem. The thing is, they had something to put liquids in and carry with them for a while.

Oh, no. They can’t take my water stores! If my dry personality is already bad, it’ll be even worse now. I will be miserable. It’d be like taking a bit of my soul.

Wait, I have water stores. That means I could help these people. If people are walking in the desert and they find no water, what else should they do but get water from a lonely cactus? Here I was thinking I had no purpose. I can help people try to survive the heat.

I feel a small hole being cut into my side, and it hurt me a little. The pain would be unbearable if I wasn’t overjoyed with the fact that I could help them. I know the water is rushing into their thermos. It won’t last long. The man and woman walk away talking about how useful cacti were and just when you needed a shred of hope!

Even though I stand alone, I should never doubt my value. I might have a small company and a prickly disposition, but I care about you deep down in my heart. I might look intimidating on the outside, but that is not who I am on the inside. I have feelings, and like anyone’s they can be hurt. Just because someone chooses to stand alone, that doesn’t make them any less acceptable or unfriendly, they just need some encouragement to join in the crowd.