Odd Ducks
A little room to be human… and a little encouragement to fly. This one’s for all of us odd ducks.
Read or listen… don’t quack about it.
I've always been fascinated by ducks. Just thinking about them makes me smile.
When I'd ask my mom to tell me more about someone who was different, she might say something like, “They're just an odd duck.”
I remember reading about the devastating Texas floods of July 2025. Afterwards, many ducks were seen swimming together in a big pond collecting the overflow of rivers that had swelled… and taken so much in their path.
It's one of those images that sticks in my mind and heart.
Then I learned about whistling ducks. Definitely an odd duck. Even among ducks, they’re an odd bird, preferring to do their own thing… often seen sitting in a tree, not just walking on land.
Oh… I just discovered that the moms and dads of these black-bellied whistling ducks actually look the same. Both parents take care of the little ones.
Huh… if you know me, that gets my body waddling and my pen moving.
One thing that catches my attention is that they're whistling. I think they whistle to let others know they’re together and not alone, even in the midst of darkness and trauma.
Some may just see their appearance and call them an odd duck, or something else… as if that makes them feel better. But I see them as a wonderful creation of God that we can all learn from.
I just looked up… and went inside. What are you noticing?
Don't fly away. Stay a while with yourself… and be with me, just another whistling duck, different in my own way, appreciating our differences but also wanting to belong… and be part of a community.
Can you hear me now? Most of all, do you see how you‘re different, too?
My friends and I will be whistling together when you do… and I’ll be humming at the same time. That’s hard to do, but we’re all in this together… with room for all our differences.
Just another odd duck... in the light of invisibility.
Whummmm… “I’m only a man with a funny red sheet, lookin’ for special things inside of me.” —from Superman by John Ondrasik
Feeling better when we fly together—not leaving the wounded or lame ones behind.
That’s just who we are. We’re a community of hearts, even when division keeps us apart—in our own homes, our neighborhoods, or around the world.
As the good book says, “Love thy neighbor”... but don’t let them crap on your lawn. I added that last part.
Quack quack… Not a quack. Just an odd duck with a familiar anthem.
Yeah… It’s not easy. It’s not easy to be me.
Afternotes
Dedication: To all those on this journey of heart, moving from room to room, remembering themselves—and who we are together. Each of us remembering who we were always meant to be.
Gratitude: With appreciation for those who have shared their light and sweetness with me over the years—and received mine in return.
Confidentiality note: This piece was inspired by someone close to my heart, but is a composite of many people I know—inside and outside of therapy. Any resemblance to your own life or our shared experience is both coincidental and universal—reminding us that our stories echo one another in the fabric of human experience.
Comments or questions? You’re welcome to reach me at mcecilvt@aol.com. Feel free to share these words—and this blog—with anyone you hold close… or long to be closer to.
About me: Besides being a writer, Marc Cecil is a doctoral-level licensed psychologist, certified AEDP supervisor, approved EMDR consultant, and senior CSRT consultant. An experienced psychotherapist, supervisor, consultant, and teacher, Marc uses an integrated experiential model called Core Self Integration Therapy (CSIT)—grounded in our capacity for adaptive change—to help people heal from complex relational, developmental, and transgenerational trauma. Some refer to it as Elephant Work—standing solidly in the healing power of accompaniment.
Dr. Cecil lives in Vermont near the shores of Lake Bomoseen, where his heartfelt stories and images of connection arise from the light of invisibility—bringing life to therapy and therapy to life.
Stay tuned for more—as this living model continues to grow—with self-compassion leading the way around the world… and back home.