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If the anas platyrhynchos (duck) could not dismiss water from his back as easily as a shake of the tail, he would wind up 80 pounds of soggy feathers sunk to the bottom of Old Barnes Pond. Maintaining flotation is essential to his, and our, optimism. So seek out your local ducks and see how they do it.

They don’t absorb the water; therefore, they don’t get weighed down. Now you try it. Let that big deadline, or relationship issue, or chronic worry about your 401K, roll right off your spinal column. Give that problem an extra back kick with your heel as it nears your ankle for good measure. Shake off  your worries and dry yourself off in the sunshine.

In addition, ducks are expert at eluding their enemies, either by flying, swimming, running or diving for protection. And when it’s time to migrate, ducks fly in a “V” formation, taking turns up front to provide ballast for those in the rear. They know there’s no “i” in team. No “d”, “u”, “c” or “k” either.

Boy, there’s a lot to learn from ducks.

NOTE: Paddling furiously in circles while looking completely calm is another good duck move worth study.