WHAT A DUCK CAME TO TEACH ME by Pennie Hunt

Four weeks ago, my daughter’s family moved to a different state. I was sad that my little ducklings were going to be so far away. I decided I needed to stay busy. Very busy. After the moving truck pulled away, I began cleaning my own house. I cleaned out closets. I did yard work, and one day I decided to power wash the garage floor.

As I sprayed water, squeegeed and sprayed again, the floor began to shine. I was tired, but the idea of staying busy was helping me keep my mind off missing my grandsons. Suddenly I looked up from the wet floor, and there she was.

Standing right in front of me on the driveway was a duck. I said, “Hello.” She just stared at me. I thought she would like the water, so I sprayed enough in the driveway to make a puddle. She immediately sat down in the middle of it and continued to watch me work.
The next day she was there again. I once again said, “Hello.” She once again stared.

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​On the third day I saw her disappear into the bush in front of my dining room window. I ran into the house,​looked out that window, and straight down into the bush. She was happily sitting on a nest. In that moment I named her, “Little Mama.”

Day after day she would waddle out for a short time in the early morning and once again in the evening. Just to stretch her legs. Every time I saw her, I would greet her with, “Hello, Little Mama.” She wasn’t afraid of me but always stared at me.

I read everything I could find on mallard ducks nesting. I learned that within 24 hours of hatching, the mama would walk her ducklings away from the nest and find water. I live a long, long way from water, so I was concerned.

Then the day came. I looked out the dining room window and little mama looked up at me like she always did. Two little fluffy brown and yellow ducklings peeked at me as well. I was so excited!
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I called the Game and Fish Department with my concern about Little Mama and her ducklings finding water. I was reassured that nature had a plan, and she knew exactly how to take care of her ducklings, and they would be fine- even if they were going to travel a long way to find water.

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The next morning, I was sad to see that Little Mama and the ducklings were gone. I never got to see them waddle down my driveway to their new life away from the nest. I am not sure how many ducklings actually hatched, but she left behind a perfect nest with 5 abandoned eggs. In my reading, I found that this is normal. I continued to check on the eggs, thinking maybe they would hatch and the nest would once again be filled with life. They didn’t. 

Through this experience, I have learned a lot about ducks. But I learned more about life. The feelings of empty nest syndrome don’t just happen to parents when their kids go to college. It can happen to anyone, no matter what age your kids or grandchildren are when they leave.

It has been a reminder of how important it is to accept and adapt to change. You can be angry, sad, scared, and fight against it, but change is going to happen. If you accept and adapt, you will be happier. An empty nest is evidence that love has done its job.

I also learned to be careful and specific about what you put out there to the Universe. I was sad when my daughter’s family (my ducklings) moved away. So, what did the Universe give me… a mama duck with a lesson for me. I needed to watch how she nurtured her eggs, and when the ducklings hatched, they all left. Life is a cycle and change is real. I needed to accept it.

I miss Little Mama and her ducklings and hope they found the water they went looking for. I miss my human ducklings and hope they soak up all their new life holds for them.
​Now I am back to cleaning and decluttering my home and life. And in the future, I will be very specific about what I will ask the Universe for next.
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​                                                  Pennie’s Life Lesson:
                                       Every ending is also a beginning.
​                        An empty nest is evidence that love has done its job.
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​YOUR TURN...        
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