Learning not to interfere...

I am 51 years old and still learning.

Mama duck hatched 10 ducklings. They are, I must say, probably the cutest of all baby animals.
Mama hatched them inside the chicken coop. During the day she takes the ducklings out in the yard where they nibble on grass seeds, splash in the water bowls and nap in the shade. At night she tries to take them back to the safety of the coop... away from owls and other predators. The ducklings have trouble with this concept.

Mama says something to them in duck lingo. The fuzzy babies all fall into line and follow her, until she reaches the ramp to the coop. There, mama duck goes up, and the babies stand beneath and holler.

Mama comes back down. She leads the babies around for a while, then heads back up the ramp. One or two follow, the rest? They stay on the ground and holler. Loudly.

Mama leaves the coop. The ducklings that are with her follow. It is maddening to watch.

I want to scoop the ducklings up in a net and toss them into the coop. I want to "HELP."

But the duck, with her thimble sized brain, has it all figured out. Over and over, patiently, she descends the ramp. She leads a few babies up. Repeat. I quit watching after a while. When I went out after dark mama duck was in the coop, hovering over her babies. They were all safely in the coop. No thanks to me.

I take this as a life lesson. Interfere less. Let life happen more.