Don’t dodge. Duck.


I saw some ducks the other day. They were just swimming along. Being ducks.

I really like them. But, in all fairness, you could ask me that about any animal, and I would say the same thing. “Polly. How do you feel about Boll Weevils?” “Oh, I like them. They have the cutest little snouts coming out of their heads.”

Yeah.

But ducks. Or, duck butts. Whenever you see a duck butt on the pond, hung up there, way in the air, you know they are diving for lunch. Going below to seek out the spoils beneath the surface. We could take a lesson there. Sometimes in our own lives, it may be necessary to look below the surface. Of ourselves. Dive down deep. To take a peak under the hood and think about what is happening in there. In our minds, and our hearts. To see the places that may need some nourishment. Like our angers, or fears. Our inability to forgive, or our prejudices. But diving down and looking isn’t always easy. When we do, we expose our butts. We put our tail feathers up there in the wind. But be assured, that wind will blow the stink off. I think.

Those ducks. That is the thing about them. They are multitalented. They are the most adept swimmers. So well equipped, what with the webbed feet and all. In the water, they dance like Fred Astaire. They move like silk on the top of the pond, turning this way and that, with what seems to be no effort at all. Sometimes, when they swim, they meander. Maybe using no propelling force whatsoever. They float, and go where the current takes them. Effortlessly. Lesson number two, from ducks, I think. Moving with the motion around us. Going with the flow of things.

Yes, but sometimes they swim fast, and with purpose. On occasion, they go alone, other times, in groups. Either way, ducks have the ability to swim very rapidly. I can just imagine those little webbed feet underneath, churning to beat the band. But for all that effort, and drive, the expression on their little duck bills remains the same. A little tilted upward smile. Even though they are hauling ass underneath. Yet, another thing to learn from ducks.

For as graceful as they are in the water, they do that waddling thing on land. They are not the best walkers. And if you have ever seen a duck run, well. Well. Even though it is not their strong suit, they still seem to manage just fine. In fact, it serves them well, as they hunt and peck around on the ground for dinner. Same with us. We all have our talents. Our good abilities. We just have to recognize them. And the things that we don’t do so well, still serve us in other ways.

Yes, there is so much to love about a duck. Besides all of that, I think they are beautiful. There are so many different kinds, in amazing shapes and colors. But, no matter the duck, whenever they get wet, that water rolls right off their backs. Lesson. Lesson.

Good ducks. Amazing ducks. With all their lessons.
And I haven’t even told you about how high they can fly.


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“Talent hits a target no one else can hit. Genius hits a target no one else can see.”
― Arthur Schopenhauer

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“Hide not your talents, they for use were made,
What’s a sundial in the shade?”
― Benjamin Franklin

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“The person born with a talent they are meant to use will find their greatest happiness in using it. ”
― Johann Wolfgang von Goethe

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