Make Way for Ducklings

Again, this morning, I woke feeling emotionally off. And, like most mornings, Sunni and I enjoyed our morning cuddles, got dressed, and headed out the door for our first walk of the day. Today, more spring is popping through, and the night rain has passed, leaving wet grass, a few puddles, and earthworms on the sidewalks. Yes, I couldn’t help myself; I rescued a few.

Despite the green and new, my emotions remained heavy. As usual, I talked during this early morning walk because I knew God was listening. Often my talking is prayer, but this morning, it was more about working through why I again woke feeling this way. It didn’t take me long to understand that what I was feeling was overwhelm.

So, I lifted a short prayer: Lord, please help me.

Then I lapsed into silence, tossing Sunni her ball while we walked. I heard the piliated woodpecker somewhere off in the trees, the rush of rain-raised water in the creek, a dog barking. I saw the newly emerging leaves on trees and bushes. And I smelled a fragrant flowering wild crab apple on the other side of the walking bridge.

I’d never crossed to that side of the bridge before, but the flowers and fragrance beckoned. I had to smell them and wanted to take photos to post on IG/FB and my website.

Then I heard splashing and a quiet quack. Stepping back onto the bridge to get a clear view down to the creek, I saw a mama Mallard duck and her ten ducklings.

My overwhelm could not withstand this answered prayer. It had to make way for the joy of seeing very new ducklings.

It is work to get to a place where you can lift prayer, ask for help, and trust that an answer, some form of aid, will come. It takes patience and time to learn to trust, breathe, and wait calmly.

This doesn’t mean you’re waiting around to be rescued. It means you are learning the skills to save yourself.

There are going to be bad days. Hard and ugly days. There is no avoiding them. But I firmly believe that when you can look in the mirror and see yourself as worthy, as valued, as loved, these inevitable bad days can be recognized for what they are and faced head-on.

With the joyful answered prayer of ducklings, I am better able to sit with the emotion and look more objectively at the reason. I can and will take action steps to address what I am feeling and the reasons for it.

An important first step is naming it. This is where the feelings wheel I mentioned in my blog post, The Burden of Silence, is a great tool to have handy.

I can acknowledge feeling overwhelmed, specifically anxious, stressed, and scared. This morning’s walk and the answered prayer in the form of ducklings helped me take a breath and feel the calm. I will work to process the reasons behind these emotions.

Today, I made way for ducklings. Then, I came home and wrote this blog.

How about you, my friend? Will you make way for ducklings today?

Xoxo,

Judy