The Donkey Wanted What The Dog Had
The donkey worked hard. Every day he carried loads, pulled carts, and did the sort of work that left little energy for anything else. While he labored, he watched the household lapdog enjoying a very different life. The dog sat beside the master, received treats, and was welcomed onto his lap whenever he pleased.
The donkey could not understand the difference. Surely the dog was loved because of what he did. So one day the ass decided to do the same things.
He trotted into the house. He nudged his master. Then, seeing the dog comfortably seated where he always sat, the ass attempted to climb into the master’s lap.
The result was immediate chaos. Furniture toppled. The master shouted. Servants rushed in. The donkey was driven away, confused and hurt. After all, he had only done what the dog did. What he failed to understand was that what suited a lapdog did not suit a donkey.
It Sounded Like A Good Idea
This still happens. Most of us stop making the donkey’s mistake sometime around childhood. Then we develop fibromyalgia, food sensitivities, chronic fatigue, migraines, autoimmune issues, or some other condition that causes the body to become unexpectedly complicated.
Suddenly we find ourselves looking around at everyone else. They’re eating oatmeal for breakfast. They’re drinking green smoothies. They’re loading up on whole grains, fruit, fiber, and all the foods we’ve been told are healthy.
So naturally we think: “Well, I should do that too.”
And sometimes that works. Sometimes it absolutely does not.
Healthy For Everyone Else
One of the strangest parts of living with a sensitive body is realizing that “healthy” is not a universal experience. You can eat the exact same meal as someone else and have a completely different outcome.
A friend eats a large salad and feels energized. You eat the same salad and spend the afternoon wondering if someone quietly replaced your blood with wet cement.
Someone else swears by smoothies. You drink one and require a nap, a blanket, and perhaps a brief discussion with the universe about fairness.
The frustrating part is that many of us have been taught to distrust our own experience. If a food is healthy, then surely it should help. If it doesn’t help, maybe we’re doing something wrong.
The body, meanwhile, is waving both arms and saying: “No, that’s not what I’m saying at all.”
Why Good Food Can Feel Bad
Fibromyalgia is not simply a pain condition. It affects how the nervous system processes information.
Researchers believe people with fibromyalgia experience central sensitization, meaning the nervous system amplifies signals that other people might process more quietly. That doesn’t only affect pain. It can influence energy, digestion, sensory processing, sleep, and how the body responds to everyday stressors—including food.
Some people also experience blood sugar fluctuations more intensely. A meal that causes a small rise and fall in one person may create a much larger energy swing in someone whose system is already under strain.
Digestion itself requires energy. Large meals, high-carbohydrate meals, or foods that are difficult for a particular person to tolerate can leave the body working harder than expected.
This doesn’t mean the food is bad. It simply means the body receiving it matters. The same meal can create two entirely different experiences depending on the nervous system involved.
The Problem Was Never You
Many people spend years trying to force themselves into someone else’s definition of wellness. We assume that if we can just find the right plan, the right diet, the right list of approved foods, everything will finally make sense. But health is rarely that tidy.
Your body’s response is not a moral failing. It’s data. It’s information. It’s communication. And listening to that communication is not weakness. It’s wisdom.
The donkey wasn’t lazy. He wasn’t stubborn. He simply misunderstood what kind of creature he was. Many of us do the same thing when we ignore what our bodies are trying to tell us.
Different Bodies, Different Answers
The lesson of the fable isn’t that the lapdog was right or the donkey was wrong. It’s that different creatures require different answers.
And sometimes the healthiest thing you can do is stop asking whether something works for everyone else and start asking whether it works for you.
After all, a donkey doesn’t become healthier by pretending to be a lapdog. It only becomes more confused.
