Herding Ducks - A Lesson

Yesterday morning was beautiful and pretty and cold.  It was 30, which for here, at the temperate beach, is a little unusual.  It's great though, because everything has a covering of coarse frost, and the hummingbird feeder has big loose ice crystals in it.  The ducks are very ready for their corn: as soon as they detect movement behind the windows, they all begin to talk quietly and to move up into the sideyard.  The grass is so cold that some of them will take a few steps, crouch down to warm their feet in their soft belly feathers, then walk again.  This is repeated till they get to the area where I throw the grain, then they sit and wait.
I love throwing the grain these mornings especially, because they're so appreciative.  There's always a comfort zone between me and the ducks, about 12-15 feet.  If I get into that zone as I throw the grain, they will move away or fly.  On very cold days, they relax the zone a bit, allowing me to get within maybe 8 feet - the brave ones do, that is.  There's always a mix in the flock, some ducks who are more used to humans, and some who fly nervously as soon as I appear.
Anyway, the herding part-  the lesson for me.   I threw the corn and then spread some hulled sunflower seed under the songbird feeders - this is for the ground feeders.  This area is across the driveway and probably 50 feet from where I feed the ducks.  I sat down quietly near the garage to enjoy the ground feeders and lo and behold, here came the ducks over the driveway to sample the sunflower seed.  How could they?  They're supposed to stay on the other side and eat their food!  So I got up, walked toward them and waved my arms a bit, saying something like "you guys are supposed to be over there!  Go on now!"  They looked at me quizzically and either turned or flew when I broached the comfort zone.  But then, just as I sat, back they came.  And then the crows came to eat the duck food!  Total chaos in the feeding department.
Hm.  Whose chaos is this?  Could this just be my need to keep everything happily in its place - when everything is blissfully ignorant of my 'rules'?  These birds are food opportunists - the crows eat literally anything - corn is a blissful feast.  It's totally unrealistic to think they would pass it up.  And anyway, why not feed them.  They have a rough time making a living in the winter too.  I profess my love of crows, then fuss about what they eat --?
And the ducks, well, hulled sunflower is really fatty and rich.  Why ever not??  And why is this usually generous and calm human waving and making a fuss?
In my head, the answer was clear - let it go!  Standing there,watching everyone eating everything, I wanted to gently sort them all out again and fix it.  So I did the only thing that I could:  I walked away, into the house.
This is  a really tiny thing in the huge frame of life, but it made me think.  I guess it's a small lesson about bigger stuff.  There's a wonderful book called The Not So Big Life by Sarah Susanka.  It's full of great life lessons.  One that I have adopted, because I really need this specific direction is "when you believe that something upsetting in your life is about someone (or something) else and not you, stop.  It is about you and it's happening so that you can learn more about you."
I guess one of my lessons from this is that even the small stuff is valuable.  Try to learn from even the little things in life, because as I know, the little things can become big things.
So this morning, the ducks are again all over the yard, savoring the sunflower seed together with the juncos and the fox sparrows.  The crows are feasting with some of the ducks on the cracked corn and everyone, me included, is having a good time.