Today I was at the park downtown when I noticed a mother duck making her way through the grass with her 8 ducklings. All but a couple were vibrant yellow, the others had brown stripes, and they were all absolutely precious. There’s something about seeing baby animals that’s always so fun for me, it makes me feel like I’ve been teleported inside an illustrated children’s book.
I grabbed my phone so I could take a short video.
As I started to approach, careful not to disturb them, my own maternal instincts kicked in as soon as I realized there was a hawk perched in a tree nearby, ready to swoop in and snatch one of the babies. The tension in the air was palpable and I knew I had to act immediately or one of the ducklings was about to be toast. I went over to the tree where the bird was and politely asked it to leave. I was relieved it obliged so readily. (On that note: I can’t stand when people try to scare animals to get them to go away; more often than not, they will simply listen when we say things like we mean it. There’s really no need to act hostile.) Anyway, then I felt kinda bad for the bird… poor fella was just trying to have a light lunch. Oh, but I’d have felt much worse if I didn’t protect the babies. I may have a tough, more masculine side to me but I am still a woman.
I’ve seen animals protect one another from predators before; there are a ton of videos available online and it’s not always the same species. So it’s not unnatural what I did. Still, there was that moment afterwards where I wondered if it was actually the best thing, or if maybe I was messing with the natural order somehow. Who can say for sure? All I know is–in that moment–what I did made a difference to me and to the ducks, especially the mother duck who I believe was aware of my protective presence. The baby ducks… probably not so much. I mean they instinctively knew to stay close to their mother and that she was alert to something perhaps, but other than that, they were most likely obviously to the danger.
Because the grass was so tall, I’m not sure anyone else noticed the ducklings. There were a couple of people walking by that saw me but I doubt they knew what I was doing. That is my experience a lot actually… people seeing me but not having any idea what I’m doing, and oftentimes totally misunderstanding what I’m doing.
I think this is because I always try to make myself available to what Spirit nudges me to do, while not everyone does this. Most people are in a hurry to get somewhere or they have their faces glued to their phones, and I just don’t operate that way. When I go out, I’m always curious about what I will find. You will very rarely see me on my phone. Sure, I’ll have plans and places to be but I try to never rush and to always be mindful and aware of my surroundings.
Because of this, I have rescued countless animals, pets as well as wildlife, and I’ve helped many people, too. Although, I prefer to do the latter without anyone knowing. I don’t want a “thank you” when I’m giving someone something they should already have like food or a blanket. And I’m only writing it here to make a point and to say I wish more people would do this… Ya know, be available to life. And if you are, even sometimes, then cool!
Just paying attention and being ready to help out at a moments notice makes life so much more gratifying and worth it. It really doesn’t have to take much time, either. Plus, you never know… it could save a life. And trust that is never a small thing no matter how small the life.
Stay blessed,
VME
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