Get Your Ducks in a Row 

 

It seems to be the time of year to get things done. 

I have changed the clocks in my house and watched the snow melt away from the rock path outside my window. 

 

Once the path is revealed, so is the to-do list. 

 

Are you thinking the same thing? 

 

This list can be never ending so we all may need to get to it and get your ducks in a row. 

 

That is one way to go. Being prepared and having things in order.

 

Here’s the thing. 

 

Ducks don’t like to do anything in a row for very long. 

 

I have watched them for many years. 

 

Oh sure.

There may be a couple of ducks who start out waddling along, coming towards a single goal, for seconds, and then they will swerve and move away in a flap of a wing or slap of the webbed foot. 

 

Are you picturing this in your mind? 

 

Go ahead. I’ll pause while you find this image for yourself. 

 

Great! You are back!

 

Now, it’s the same thing with the to-do list this time of year. 

I have a list in my head that is the same way. 

 

Write it down, you say. 

 

Create a SMART goal with the list, you say. 

The more specific, manageable, achievable, realistic and time bound the things on my list are then the more they will stay in line. 

Or so it would seem. 

 

Yes, that is another way to go and yet for now the list stays in my memory.

 

That sounds lovely! 

Here is what I have found. 

The things that need to be done sometimes change, like ducks getting in a row.

The path I see and the things that need to be done sometimes waddle around and change course a few dozen times. 

 

Like ducks getting in a row. 

 

What if a new goal is seen and I need to waddle over to it? 

 

There are times when this has happened and having a list set in place can make me feel like I am not paying attention to what is more important, which may be needed to take flight and go on a new path. 

 

This has been shown to me a few times.

 

It has looked like this over the years.

Think about how it could look like for you. 

 

Once there was a time when we were trying to look for a new solution to what could help our son and it seemed like the professionals needed to talk to each other. 

It felt like I was sending messages to several offices and not hearing back from any of the people who may have ideas or answers. 

 

Do you see that the ducks needed to get in a row? 

Suddenly, we changed one doctor, and he became the connector. 

 

This is what we needed! 

Dallin, let’s get your ducks in a row.

Dallin, let’s get your ducks in a row is the feeling we received during every appointment. One, two then three ducks would line up and then I knew we were onto a good thing. 

 

This led us to other good connections and off we went. It came together piece by piece.

 

There have been times since then that medical professionals have said this to me and my friends. 

It feels like being well prepared is the best part of having a good doctor on my side.

 

I do have two more pieces to getting those ducks in a row.  

 

What if having one or two ducks going in one direction is what I needed? 

 

Somehow, I have always pictured needing the entire flock of ducks moving together before I can do anything. 

Well, that is plain silly. 

Think of what can be done.

Think of what can be done with one or two goals on a to-do list moving forward. 

Together, with if I am talking honestly. 

One by one if I look at life with true eyes. 

 

Now, this is perhaps the part that makes getting your ducks in a row doable, my friends. 

 

Consider this last piece with me. 

 

Do you remember the SMART goals from up top? 

 

What if I need to, and want to, have a set of goals in place that look at those specific supports in place while still being able to pay attention to wandering and waddling ducks? 

 

Could that be the fun and important question of the day? 

 

My friends, I will tell you that this is what led me for many years with our son. 

 

Make goals that were achievable and also pay attention to what needed to happen in the moment I was in. 

 

Can you imagine what came? 

 

Joy and wandering with occasional flights that made us smile for days at a time. 

Go with that for a time and see where it takes you.

 

May you find a few ducks that occasionally get in a row.