If It Waddles Like a Duck
Jan 06 11:07 AM

If It Waddles Like a Duck

Jan 06 11:07 AM
Jan 06 11:07 AM

I love to ride in the morning, for one thing it's cooler in the morning but there is just something about getting on the bike in the dark and following that little beacon of light from my headlight down the trail to the lake. Before you realize it's happening the light begins to fade as the sky shifts from black to grey then blue. On the horizon you see the golden rays of the sun peak over the horizon and before you know it that light on the front of your bike is completely swallowed up by the dawn.

Maybe you are paying closer attention at that time and you see things you never noticed before or maybe it's just the morning and you are more in tune with the creator and His creation. It's at Duck Pelotonthese times I find the hidden gems He has for me, all around me. Today I was struck by the duck, actually I almost struck a duck, waddling across the path and I wondered, why do ducks spend so much time waddling?

They can fly great distances, like nature’s first peloton they feed off the energy of the lead duck, then take turns so they maximize their distance and minimize their efforts. The science and efficiency of the whole ducks in formation concept is so amazing, they just know to do that in flight, yet they waddle.  When they land on the water, they instantly transform into a seafaring vessel, seemingly unsinkable and they glide across the surface effortlessly. When something at the bottom of the lake catches their fancy, they become a submarine and dive to the bottom to gobble up whatever weed awaits them, yet they waddle.

Endlessly, waddle. Quacking away, ignoring what would be a far more efficient method of getting to the lake and dinner or wherever they are heading.

I can't help but think that if a duck was a triathlete, he'd comment that his weakness was the waddle, yet he persists in his waddling. I also have to think that if I was a predator, and was hungry for duck, I'd be hoping to catch one during his waddle. He would be most vulnerable to an attack then and I can only assume they know that, yet they waddle, quacking away and drawing all kinds of attention to their situation. So why does he choose to waddle in his weakness instead of soaring with his strengths?

I couldn't help but wonder does our creator sit and watch us struggle in our areas of weakness and think to himself, “why does he do that?” He has given us strengths and areas where we can be our best but often times we run to those areas of weakness. For me for years it was consumption, whether it was cheeseburgers or alcohol or tobacco, I hid behind it and ran there thinking it was a safe spot but in that spot, I was most vulnerable to attack. My propensity for consumption almost consumed me completely, yet I waddled in it. It wasn't until I gave that up that I saw the effects my diet had on my health and from there I learned to exercise. The same tenacity with which I pursued the next cheeseburger or drink was actually a strength that wasn't being used properly, it now is pointed at the next mile on the bike or formerly wasted opportunities to be outside and active.

That is what Today I Can is all about, it isn’t about the bicycling adventures of a middle aged CPA, it’s about finding those areas of strength we were all gifted in and focusing on soaring in those instead of waddling in our weakness. For me riding a bike made sense, my knees were beat from carrying around all that extra weight for years, any attempt to consistently run was met with very sore knees and lots of ice and a period of prescribed inactivity, which looked like quitting. For you, it may not be that, it might be running, it could be lifting weights, or just going for a walk, I just went for a walk every day to start my journey, I was way too big to ride a bike at first. If riding a bike sounds like fun, we can help you get on one without spending an arm and a leg, that is something else we are working toward, getting folks that want to be more active, what they need to do so. There isn’t a book to be sold or a membership to be purchased, nobody gets anything out of acting now on this besides you, so just do it.

Here is another thing, there may be someone you know that needs encouragement, that is what this blog is about, encouraging them but you are afraid it will be awkward, like you are telling them they need to lose weight and you don’t want to do that, my response to that is that if you care about them, send the note, don’t follow up and hassle them, just send them a link and say “hey this old dude is crazy, look what he has done on his bicycle.” Let them read through for themselves. It is why it is there, to show folks what can happen. If you got the link and it pissed you off, blame me, I told them to do it.

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Ford Baker is a CPA and entrepreneur. He's passionate about helping CPAs gain balance and understand that they can live healthy and balanced lives while having successful careers.

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