Feel good story of the day: An anorexic duck named Alice

Alice (think Through the Looking Glass), a seven-day-old duckling, was rescued from a gull mauling (my newest fear as I walk along the Embarcadero) by an RSPCA inspector and taken to the Devon Wildlife Visitor Centre. But, being away from her siblings led to separation anxiety, which kept her from eating.

The baby duck’s handlers (who are clearly raving narcissists) came up with the idea to put a mirror in Alice's enclosure to keep her company.

Guess what? It worked.

“The duckling regularly wanders up to the mirror and pecks at it, licks it and is constantly happily chirruping away,” says Centre spokeswoman Liz Dyas. “It is very common for ducklings to die once separated from the flock and we’re amazed at the change in condition."

This just goes to prove we're all, deep down, obsessed with ourselves and need the validation of others--even if it's just our own reflection. So, stand in front of a mirror today and remind yourself that you good enough, smart enough, and, doggonit, people like you.

In case you were wondering, Alice is reportedly eating again (I hope she knows the camera adds ten pounds) and is expected to make a full recovery in matter of months. Soon, she'll be so healthy, she'll be shilling Jenny Craig on basic cable.