The first thing I saw was a bright yellow flash. I had turned my head and the golden flecks caught my peripheral vision. I had looked out of the restaurant I was sitting in due to some movement near the door. I swiveled my head back to the yellow dots and tried to focus my eyes as if they were binoculars. The shapes and colors came into view. What had been a glimmer of an idea formulated into clarity. The dashboard of that car was filled with rubber ducks.
A few minuets later, as I was headed to my car, i snapped a picture to show Cindy. It was then that i noticed the incredible diversity of the ducks (a pirate, a unicorn, a reindeer, panda, red, blue, orange, white, pink). The lineup made me smile.
Later, I was showing someone the picture, still reliving the joy. They did not have any of the surprise that I had. Instead ,they told me that it was a “Jeep thing.” I inquired, but they did not know much more. I consulted Google. Sure enough, I found out that in 2020 “Ducking” became a thing. It grew out of an angry encounter in Canada (Yes, Canada!). A Canadian citizen, who was working in Alabama and therefore had an Alabama license plate, but had returned home due to COVID was accosted on the street, "A not-so-kind person walked up to me, grabbing my shoulders so hard he left bruises and pushed me back into my vehicle and told me” to “Get out” and that ”I wasn't welcome in Canada” (Allison Parliament).
Instead of getting angry and react with hate, she decided to act with joy to try to replace the hurt feelings she was having. So she went to a nearby store. She walked down the aisles and finally settled on a bright yellow rubber duck. She then went and put it on a car with a note of encrouagment. The recipient, a stranger, thought it was so funny and it got posted to Facebook and then other social media. Because the first car was a Jeep, it became adopted by the Jeep community and the hashtag #duckduckJeep was born. Pictures have been posted from all 50 states, all the Canadian provinces and multiple other countries.
It’s a fun story of redeeming a bad moment. It’s a fun idea and I’m glad I learned about it. I, however, am a little sad. I don’t have a Jeep and so I feel like I’m standing on the outside realizing that it will never happen to me. These Jeep people have all the ducks, maybe they could help spread the love around to say, owners of red Ford 150s.
As we turn to the coming fall, I get the feeling that lots of people in our world are living on the outside and they need to be invited to the inside. I think many of our community are isolated, not attending any church and are in a funk. The next challenge for our church is to invite people. If you have ever been on the outside, then you know how a simple invite can make a difference. “We have missed you.” “We would love to have you back,” “Please come and join us.” Just a few words could make the difference. They might be going to another church, but they would still know that you care about them. Try something simple. Just share a little joy with the people around you.