The Mama Duck

I nearly missed it. On my way to fill up my gas tank at Costco. But the brown blur on the street moved.

And I stopped my car.

The man behind me in the white sedan wasn’t happy as he sped pass, but he couldn’t see what I saw.You see, once I noticed the mama duck with TEN little ducklings following her, I had to stop. If I hadn’t stopped, these little ones would have been squashed.

That’s ok that he got to the gas pump before me. I was taking a picture with my cell phone. (I am so sorry to the lady in the SUV who was in a hurry, but you had room to maneuver around me) I just couldn’t pass by. I mean, how cute is this?

Then I noticed something.

About the time I was snapping the picture, five of the ducklings had already used their siblings as stepping stools and climbed up over the curb to their mama (I really wish I had more than my cell phone for the picture, its hard to see them, but the "safe" ducklings are under the bush in the picture). But five of them were stuck, unable to climb over.

The mama duck was frantic.

She kept nudging the ducks on the curb away from the edge at the same time as trying to reach her little babies who couldn’t make it over. She would dip her head down and nudge their heads. Her wings flapped, her neck stretched, but she had no way to rescue them.

Ignoring odd looks, leaving my running engine in the middle of the parking-lot-road and not even bothering to close my door – I decided to help.
I would save the ducklings!! (Where are the Wonder Pets when I need them?)

Feeling a little like Snow White, I stooped down and offered my hand as a step. (I am pretty sure I gracefully swooped my hand with a very “Disney-princess-fashion” and almost felt a song bursting from my soul.)

The ducklings scattered. Scared.

Oh yeah, I am NOT Snow White. Animals really do not flock to strange women. Especially thirty-something-women who STILL try to BE Snow White.

So, I did the next best thing… I got in front of them a little. Scooped my hand gently under the belly of one of the frightened ducklings and lifted him over the curb.

He RAN to his mama. R.A.N.

He ran to her just like I have seen my children run to me when they are scared.

She opened her wings wide, nudged his head, and then looked back to the others.

I was already doing my best to scoop up the next one. And, just like his brother, he did the same thing… straight to mama, who gladly welcomed him.

Seeing that their brothers had safely reached their mama, the other little ducklings didn’t even try to run from me at all. In fact, one tried to get into my hand on his own… just so he could be with mama.

Just so he could be with his mama…

I smiled at the man in the blue car (who looked vaguely like Doc) and thought Snow White was a wimp – see her try that!!!

And then I thought how wonderful it is that even in the animal world, babies just want their mama. Even little ducks at Costco needed comfort from their mother.

In one little frozen moment of time, I learned more about mothering than ever could be taught to me through words.

The lessons from this experience are boundless, and I love that I get to explore it over and over in my mind.

What lessons can you see? (aside from the fact that I was never meant to be a Disney Princess)