Puzzle Solving with a Turkey Baster

We successfully released two ducklings K fostered for two weeks. In celebration, I pulled this post from last year to share. Living with wildlife creates opportunities for much writing fodder. This is one moment where the Divine taught me grace for myself. Enjoy

Originally posted on April 22, 2012


"Mom! The duck eggs are covered in water!

Her big green eyes search my face for an answer. I pause to think.

"Not the ones under the bush. Flare (the mama) is sitting on those. The ones in the neighbor's boat!"

Our back yard is a small lake and each house has a paddle boat. Girly diligently created relationships with two ducks this year. The reason: for them to lay eggs somewhere near our back door for her to watch and nurture. Success with one: a nest under the rose geranium. The other made a nest in a boat. Our usually dry town managed a four day deluge.

"I am not sure what we can do Love." I answered.

"Ya," she sighed, "I know, I just wanted to tell you."

Girly turned and walked out of my room. Instantly the Mom radar went off. For the past two days, a duck spent much of her day at our back door, waggling her tail feathers and quacking loud enough for Santa to hear. I wondered, could her noise be because her nest was wet?

Shaking off my Saturday morning repose to follow inspiration, I grabbed a turkey baster from the kitchen and went outside. Girly met me and we marched. I crawled onto the neighbor's boat and realized the task would not be easy. The boat four sections of the boat were filled to the brim. Resting at the bottom of one section, eleven eggs. Girly ran for a large cup as I sucked and squeezed water, ounces at a time. 

I finished the section with the eggs and decided to just clean the whole boat. I was there anyway and mosquito season is right around the corner. It didn't take long before the squawking duck swam over and patiently watched. After an hour of work, the eggs rested. Dry and  ready for to be reclaimed.

Duck swam circles around the boat and peaked in. Her problem was solved. The eggs were out of danger. Her mama's heart revealed, she peacefully swam away. Duck knew the eggs were not viable. I watched her glide across the water in wonder. The morning in the hot sun, my husband laughing at my creative use of a turkey baster, Girly at my side sloshing water out: the whole thing was too odd to not have some meaning to it.

Through the next week a picture popped into my head: a shelf with very neatly lined puzzles. The wooden brain teaser kind, in the shapes of cylinders, pyramids and barrels. About a year and a half ago, a series of personal earthquakes knocked the shelf off. In trying to find equilibrium with these unresolved things, I spend the time in mental gymnastics.

Often the advice is: toss the puzzle. Let it go. Stop looking for the solution.

That I have. I solve the puzzle and put it away. Weeks, months, or years later it falls into my mental hands and I am at it again. I would like to just dump it and move on. Yet it sticks, like book pages to my sap covered fingers.
Those who know me well understand that letting go is a process and have patience with me. Lately they have given me great perspective:

I am not like others, who can just dump a whole problem. I excise it piece by piece, logically and scientifically. I am letting it go; slowly. Patience and acceptance of this method must be remembered.

My Loving Creator is in the midst. When a thought or memory regurgitates, the immediate thought is to talk to a friend or make an appointment for therapy. The message I missed was this: the Spirit is ever present and in that moment wants to meet me for healing. My responsibility is to stop and discuss it, then meditate on the answer allowing the loving touch.

I am not that different from the duck. Duck experienced indescribable danger to what she treasured most. She could not solve the problem so help was cried for. I could not pick the boat up and dump the water out. It was too big and the eggs would have been tossed. The only way to answer was with a cup, a turkey baster and a towel. As I drained the water, one section at a time Duck waited. When I was finished she received the answer she needed. In trusting the Spirit to counsel me through these puzzles, I too will find my answers one piece at a time.