Last week my parents were visiting from out of state and for something different to do, we rented a boat so we could have a picnic on Lake Lanier. “Oh, look at the ducks!” my wife said as we boarded the boat. “They’re watching us.” I turned around and, sure enough, a dozen mallard ducks had gathered behind our boat like beggars in the marketplace. They looked well fed and our lunch was still packed away so none of us made any effort to feed them.
As we slowly pulled out of the marina, one female duck paddled along behind us. She worked hard at keeping up with us. “Quack, quack, quack!” she screamed, but we didn’t respond. And once we got into open water we revved up the engine and took off. 15 minutes later we dropped anchor in a secluded cove and spread out our picnic on the deck. A noisy splash on the starboard side startled us. “Look! It’s the duck again,” my wife laughed. Sure enough, there she was. “Quack, quack, quack!” she squawked. How could we resist? We tossed bread and sunflower seeds to her. All by herself and without any competition she was in eating heaven. And I thought, “How smart you are. You alone are brave enough to leave the flock and safe harbor. And persistent enough to follow us this far to get what you want. Your commitment, cunning and energy have earned you the right to feast better than the others. Enjoy your meal, my persistent little friend.”