Written by Mona Liza Santos

 

You were just going about your day.

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Maybe you were watching the waves or waiting in line for coffee.

Maybe you were feeling lost in your own thoughts or quietly holding something heavy no one else could see.

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And then—there it was.

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A duck.

Small. Unexpected. Kind of ridiculous.

And somehow, just right.

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You smiled, maybe even laughed.

And for a breath or two, the weight you were carrying lifted.

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That duck didn’t change your life.

But it interrupted the rush.

It reminded you to look around.

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To pause.

To breathe.

To feel something light for once.

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Maybe you’ve been in survival mode for so long, you forgot what lightness felt like.

Maybe you've been showing up for everyone else and quietly wondering when someone would notice you.

So let me tell you this, if no one else has:

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You don’t have to do more to be more.
You are not behind.
You are not too much.
You are not broken.

You are becoming.

Every hard-earned smile, every quiet cry, every time you chose kindness instead of bitterness—
You were becoming someone softer, stronger, more real.

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And here’s something else:

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You are allowed to embrace yourself fully.
The messy parts.
The quiet parts.

The too-loud laughter and the doubts that sneak in.

Every piece of you is part of the story.

You don’t need fixing—you need honoring.

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What matters most is not how well you blend in, how perfect you seem, or how fast you go.

What matters most is how true you are to yourself.

How bravely you choose love over fear.

How gently you treat your own heart.

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This duck?

It’s not about the duck.

It’s about what you do with the moment it gave you.

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Because you get to choose how you move forward.

And maybe today, you move forward more gently.

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Maybe today you notice how beautiful the sky is.

Maybe you eat slowly, breathe deeply, laugh easily.

Maybe you forgive yourself for the ways you’ve struggled.

Maybe you whisper, “I’m proud of me,” and mean it.

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You have permission to be happy for no reason.

You have permission to let go of what no longer fits.

You have permission to celebrate small things like they’re big things—because they are.

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You woke up today. That matters.

You smiled today. That matters.

You are you today. That matters more than anything.

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So when you look at this duck—this odd, joyful, floating messenger—
let it remind you:

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You are allowed to feel joy.

You are allowed to take up space.

You are allowed to be fully, beautifully yourself—and still be completely, entirely worthy.

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You don’t have to do it all.

You just have to keep being kind.

To others.

To the moment.

And most importantly, to yourself.

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Because maybe, just maybe, this little duck showed up to say what you’ve needed to hear:

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“You’re not lost.

You’re just beginning again, from exactly where you are.”