After breakfast the other day, my husband and I walked. We came across a few hundred ducks and a tiny mischief-maker.
As soon as the ducks gathered for food, this kid would roar and run toward them. They’d scatter, pause, then wander back as he threw more food.
We hung out here for about 5 minutes, and the ducks kept coming back.
I think the answer to the poll above is “having fun” or “curiosity.” And because I’m a writer, I had to find out about a duck’s capacity to remember and found there’s a good chance the ducks were, on some level, getting something worthwhile out of the equation.
Why do I share this?
The scene itself was captivating. So much so that I forgot my lengthy to-do list and tally of worries about the world without having to sit on a mat and focus or count my breath.
It was a simple and somewhat awkward interspecies interaction. Like when my dog tried to cuddle up with my cat: there’d be hissing, then a resigned awareness that the dog offered body heat and something soft to curl up against.
Human-to-human interaction is often awkward as well. We take great strides to try to make it less so, but it often is.
There’s the “ice breaker” for starting conversations, the miscommunication that seems endemic when we talk about big issues, and there’s the laziness of implied meaning in texts and emails, not to mention the delightfully awkward but beautiful interactions with people when there is a language or culture barrier.
“Why not go out on a limb? That's where the fruit is!” —Mark Twain
We are often just bumbling along. So in the spirit of bumbling along and getting comfortable with getting uncomfortable, let’s approach this week with clear sight of this short, beautiful journey and all the magic that lives in the unexpected and awkward interactions.
Here are a few prompts.
AYTL prompt: Drop the cool, even if it comes naturally to you. Be willing to get awkward. And if you find yourself embarrassed or confused, embrace it. Journal about it. Love yourself all the more for being courageous enough to be what we so naturally are.
Writing prompt: Write about a fictional character (poor thing) who sacrifices everything intrinsically valuable in exchange for comfort and how that works out for them.
A meditation offering for everyone…