Welcome back to Just Keep…Being!

​​

It's late in 2020, when a nurse who has been working her tail off dealing with the Covid pandemic is finally allowed to take a few days off.   She was exhausted, both physically and emotionally, from witnessing so many deaths and having to work under unbearable conditions.  She heads to Canada to visit her aging parents. 

​

During the drive she has a long time to think. She's seen such despair, but also moments that represent the best of humanity. She is trying hard to remember the latter, along with what exactly joy used to feel like.  Eventually, she makes a pitstop to get something to eat when a shiny new Jeep in the parking lot catches her eye. For a brief moment, she feels just a spark of happiness and pleasure. 

​

She goes in to the store, masked of course, and gets something to eat and drink. At the register she notices a basket of rubber ducks. In that instant, she decides, impulsively, to buy one and she knows exactly who she wants to give it to. 

​

When she gets out into the parking lot she quickly writes a short note that says "I really love your Jeep. Have a great day!"  She then puts the note and the ducky on the Jeep's windshield and continues her drive.  Little did she know that, right then, she began a custom that would become known as "Jeep Ducking"  

​

Well, her kind gesture turned into a phenomenon.  A simple act of kindness, coupled with a childlike symbol of joy, imitated over and over again by Jeep drivers and Jeep lovers alike. You can't pass one on the street now without seeing a row of ducks lined up on the front window shield. And, I don't know about you, but spotting them brings me a little bit of joy and a tad of jealousy that I am not a Jeep driver! 

​

This holiday season let's all try and spread kindness in honor of that nurse, the rubber ducky, and all that it represents. After all, it's often the simplest of gestures/gifts/words that have the biggest impact. 

​

Enjoy BE Happy, BE Healthy and TWO BE a Gifter posts this month! I'm sorry I ran out of time to write some more substantial, meaningful, posts for this edition, but I'll be back with those soon. 

​

Merry Christmas and Happy 2026!

Jen XOXO

​

*There are a few different versions about how "Jeep Ducking" got started. I picked the one that I liked best.