Now for something totally different

This blog is supposed to be about topics of interest to those downsizing or knowing someone in that situation (or, old friends that stick around after being comfy in their new home). But you know, I just found out a fantastic factoid (many of you may know this one already), and it’s got me in a writing mood.

Did you know that some bird experts think woodpeckers wrap their tongue around their skull to protect it when pecking at a tree to protect their brain?  I saw some random reel on social media about “crazy animal facts.”  But, being somewhat internet-savvy, I decided to look for first-hand sources from credible sources, not some rando posting and getting clicks before believing it.

At first, Google sent me to the American Bird Conservancy (ABCbirds), which not only reiterated this factoid, but leaned into it with diagrams and cross-cut views. On the other hand (before I get hate mail from 1,000 ornithologists--although you’re welcome to do so, it’ll only help the algorithm’s score) Google also included sites like Science.org and the Audubon Society debunking that theory as of 2022.  So, maybe the tongue has two roles, maybe just one.  Although I want to believe the woodpecker creates a “brain belt” for when they are whacking a tree with their heads, I’m going to focus on what everyone seems to agree with.

Woodpeckers have, generally speaking, excessively long tongues. In some cases, a-third-of-their-full-body-length-excessively-long.  I’m not a bird watcher, but that is dang cool.  

The good people at ABCBirds.org also thought through the questions a typical nerd would ask about storage when not in use. But no spoilers, I’ll let you go look it up instead if you’re interested. 

So when I started this article, I thought it would be totally off-topic and was ok with that. But with some time to reflect, there are a couple of truisms this brings to mind and I hope you’ll be patient enough to keep reading.

1. The world is fascinating. This business has taught me how much I really don’t know. I knew what I needed to succeed in my first (and second) careers. Now, as long as I’m open to it, fascinating things continue to be revealed to me.  Whether it’s finding out a client has an unexpected collection that is now hugely popular with Millennials, or whether I get a chance to learn about how different lives have unfolded and gain wisdom from how the individuals overcame obstacles, unexpected learning is always expected.

   
   

2. I need to be more engaged and supportive of my mother’s attempts at writing the family’s oral history down.  For instance, I bet she remembers the time my grandfather was telling an anecdote when I was quite young. The punch line (sorta) was that my grandparents and their kids once hid under the first structure they saw while on the ground as refugees during WWII bombing run, and the only thing that saved them was that the planes missed their target—the bridge under which everyone was sheltering.  Now’s the time to get all those stories recorded. Because I was about seven years old at the time, my memory is untrustworthy about adult-told stories. But chances are my mother heard it more than once and it'll be lost if not recorded while she's still hale and hearty.

   
   

3. There are experts, if you need them, for what feels like almost anything. The fact that multiple experts across the world can legitimately argue about the use of a woodpecker tongue is somehow very comforting. Should a client need unexpected information or help, likely, someone is already out there, and we can find them. 

   
   

4. I hope people I meet, as I get older and make assumptions about me based on how I look, or talk, or my age, etc., discover I have one or more very random and cool fact(s) about me just like the woodpecker.  Well, maybe not just like the woodpecker.  My physical dimensions are unremarkable, before anyone asks. 

   
   

On that note, have a great day. And hope you enjoy living with the quiet knowledge that the friend who could tie a cherry stem with their tongue 30 years ago wasn’t as cool as any of you thought in comparison with our little bird friends. And also, if you need an expert when downsizing, organizing, or planning a future move: Treasures Transitioned can help find them—because we have faith that they are out there, waiting to be asked to share their knowledge

(no matter how atypical). 

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