{"id":2527,"date":"2023-04-12T07:34:57","date_gmt":"2023-04-12T11:34:57","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/js1cd06kre.onrocket.site\/?p=2527"},"modified":"2023-04-12T07:34:57","modified_gmt":"2023-04-12T11:34:57","slug":"shock-absorbers","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/glennsreflections.com\/index.php\/2023\/04\/12\/shock-absorbers\/","title":{"rendered":"Shock Absorbers"},"content":{"rendered":"\n
\"\"<\/figure>\n\n\n\n

To listen to this reflection as a podcast,\u00a0<\/em>click here<\/a>.
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Have you ever wondered how woodpeckers can slam their heads into trees all day long and not have to pop a couple of ibuprofens?
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The answer is that a woodpecker\u2019s body is essentially a giant shock absorber.
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Check out the Pileated Woodpecker above \u2013 one of America\u2019s largest perching bird species, and the inspiration for the cartoon character Woody the Woodpecker.
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All of its angles, from beak to toes, help distribute the force of the incessant pounding.
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Woodpecker craniums are also remarkably engineered.\u00a0 A \u201cthird eyelid\u201d prevents a woodpecker\u2019s eyes from popping out.\u00a0 There are special feathers whose only purpose is to cover the nostrils to prevent the inhalation of sawdust.\u00a0\u00a0
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But the real ornithological miracles are the woodpecker\u2019s brain and tongue.
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Studies show that the average woodpecker drills away at tree trunks, limbs, and the wood siding on your house about 12,000 times a day.\u00a0 The most powerful blows generate 1000 G\u2019s.\u00a0 That would be 1000 times the force of gravity.\u00a0 Human beings cannot survive a mere 100 G\u2019s.\u00a0 How does a woodpecker\u2019s brain remain unscathed?
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The answer appears to be the woodpecker\u2019s unique tongue.\u00a0 The \u201cbusiness end\u201d of the tongue \u2013 the part that can extend far beyond the beak, deep inside trees \u2013 is covered with tiny barbs that spear tasty insects and grubs that are hiding there.\u00a0
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Then there\u2019s the other end of the tongue, which is one of the most remarkable features found anywhere in nature.
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A woodpecker\u2019s tongue extends backwards inside the beak, deep into the cranium, then through the right nostril, and finally around the entire crown of the head.\u00a0 Researchers in Beijing have concluded that the tongue is like a safety belt for the brain, holding it snugly during the most violent pounding.
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The brain itself is engineered for a lifetime of experiencing stress.
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So the next time somebody calls you a bird brain, just think of the woodpecker and say, \u201cThanks!\u201d
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Human brains, unfortunately, are considerably more vulnerable to the pounding stresses of modern life.\u00a0 That\u2019s especially apparent in the widespread experience of worry.\u00a0
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What\u2019s the number one category of over-the-counter drugs in the United States?\u00a0 Headache remedies.\u00a0 And number two?\u00a0 Medications for gastric distress.
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Every day we have two choices:\u00a0 We can worry or we can pray.\u00a0 We can surrender to feelings of angst or we can surrender our anxieties to God.
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Jesus was blunt: \u201cTherefore I tell you, do not worry about your life, what you will eat or drink; or about your body, what you will wear. Is not life more than food, and the body more than clothes? Look at the birds of the air; they do not sow or reap or store away in barns, and yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not much more valuable than they?\u201d (Matthew 6:25-26)
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God has given woodpeckers tongues and brains like no other.\u00a0
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But he certainly hasn\u2019t overlooked us<\/em>.
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We have the capacity to choose life\u2019s ultimate shock absorber:\u00a0trust.<\/em>

<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

To listen to this reflection as a podcast,\u00a0click here.\u00a0Have you ever wondered how woodpeckers can slam their heads into trees all day long and not have to pop a couple of ibuprofens?\u00a0The answer is that a woodpecker\u2019s body is essentially a giant shock absorber.\u00a0Check out the Pileated Woodpecker above \u2013 one of America\u2019s largest perching bird species, and the inspiration… Read more »<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":2528,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[141,296],"class_list":["post-2527","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-uncategorized","tag-trust","tag-worry"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/glennsreflections.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2527","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/glennsreflections.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/glennsreflections.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/glennsreflections.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/glennsreflections.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=2527"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/glennsreflections.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2527\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":2529,"href":"https:\/\/glennsreflections.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2527\/revisions\/2529"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/glennsreflections.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/2528"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/glennsreflections.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=2527"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/glennsreflections.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=2527"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/glennsreflections.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=2527"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}