His name was Long Boi

Life is short, and difficult, and many of the things we spend most of our time worrying about don't matter all that much. That's why we have to find the little things that make life worth living -- such as honoring the all-too-short life of a duck.

Long Boi was an Indian Runner duck that lived near the campus of Derwent College, University of York, England who wasn't like the other ducks. He was very tall (hence his name), and people started to notice that he was different. But they loved him for it. As we all should.

Recently, a memorial was held to honor his life -- complete with a bronze statue and a choir. It hasn't actually been confirmed whether or not Long Boi is still out there somewhere. He just hasn't been seen in his usual location in quite some time.

Radio host Greg James regularly featured Long Boi on his show, and unveiled the statue to honor the duck and give students who loved him the chance to say goodbye. "It is one of my great sadnesses that I never met Long Boi, though I feel like I did," he said.

It's not easy to say goodbye to a common source of joy, which is why hundreds of people attended Long Boi's memorial. You might be tempted to roll your eyes at all this -- all this for a very tall duck who never asked to be famous in the first place. But remember what I wrote earlier about finding things that make life worth living? Perhaps Long Boi served as someone's dopamine in a time of great sadness and uncertainty. You just never know.

I, too, never knew Long Boi, but I do know what it's like to lose something that has been a constant factor in one's everyday existence. Don't we all? He was more than just a duck. He was, perhaps, the tallest duck in Britain. May he forever be remembered.