You can learn a lot about a person, including yourself, by looking at your thumb. Yes, that side-mounted digit that enables humans and primates to do things other animals can’t. According to palmistry, the upper joint represents will and the lower joint, logic. Ideally, they’re the same size. If so, you’ll have the will to put forth the effort to see your ideas to completion.

If the top joint (will) is larger (which is the case with me), your will/determination is stronger than your ability to see things logically. What does that mean? You’re likely to be inclined to beat a dead horse.

If the lower joint prevails, you may have a plethora of great ideas but lack the will to make them happen.

Obviously, a bird does not have a thumb. However, if the bluebird attacking my window had one, clearly the top joint would prevail.

Why is he attacking my window?

Because I have two indoor cats. Apparently, he and his mate have a nest in the purple martin house in the front yard and he’s concerned.

So let’s think about this.

As I said, the felines in question are “indoor cats.” They do not go outside. Thus, the danger does not exist.

So far, this daddy bird has been attacking my windows since yesterday afternoon. After a few hours of the thumping sound of him hitting the window, I closed the curtains. He still continued until dark. First thing this morning, right around dawn (which comes early this time of year, i.e. 5:30 a.m.) he was at it again.

Thump, thump, thump.

The odds are (hopefully) very low that the cat or bird will break the window in their ongoing confrontation. If the barrier between them were removed, the cat is the definite favorite. It’s not that far to the ground, so then he’d have a definite opportunity to pursue the bird. Would the bird retreat? Or attempt to fight?

I have two cats who have entirely different views of the situation. My tuxedo cat, who is female and a very good mouser, is also around twelve years old. She found it amusing, but after awhile returned to her napping. However, my ragdoll/Maine coon male, who’s a little over a year old, is thoroughly enjoying the show.

Most the time he just lays there, watching the bird with a bemused expression. Occasionally, he’ll lunge for the window, but no telling what his expectations are.

As the assault continues I wondered: Is this bird a spirit animal with a message? While perseverance is usually a virtue, when it becomes an exercise in futility, then what? And at what point do you know it’s a battle you’ll never win? When do you know it’s time to walk away?

There are various quotes and  a couple poems that have encouraged me not to give up. The simplest is, not surprisingly, on my wall: “Never give up! Never surrender!” from the movie Galaxy Quest. Another favorite is: “Aiming for the stars and dragging your feet in the treetops is better than aiming for the treetops and dragging your feet in the mud.” (Anonymous)

Here’s my favorite poem, which has seen me through various challenges:

 Good Timber

by Douglas Malloch.

The tree that never had to fight
     For sun and sky and air and light,
But stood out in the open plain
     And always got its share of rain,
Never became a forest king
     But lived and died a scrubby thing.

The man who never had to toil
     To gain and farm his patch of soil,
Who never had to win his share
     Of sun and sky and light and air,
Never became a manly man
     But lived and died as he began.

Good timber does not grow with ease,
     The stronger wind, the stronger trees,
The further sky, the greater length,
     The more the storm, the more the strength.
By sun and cold, by rain and snow,
     In trees and men good timbers grow.

Where thickest lies the forest growth
     We find the patriarchs of both.
And they hold counsel with the stars
     Whose broken branches show the scars
Of many winds and much of strife.
     This is the common law of life.

Douglas Malloch. “Good Timber.” Family Friend Poems, https://www.familyfriendpoems.com/poem/good-timber-by-douglas-malloch

Here’s another favorite:

Keep Going

By Edgar A. Guest

When things go wrong, as they sometimes will,
When the road you’re trudging seems all up hill,
When the funds are low and the debts are high,
And you want to smile, but you have to sigh,
When care is pressing you down a bit,
Rest if you must—but don’t you quit.

Life is queer with its twists and turns,
As every one of us sometimes learns,
And many a failure turns about
When he might have won had he stuck it out;
Don’t give up, though the pace seems slow—
You may succeed with another blow.

Often the goal is nearer than
It seems to a faint and faltering man,
Often the struggler has given up
When he might have captured the victor’s cup,
And he learned too late, when the night slipped down,
How close he was to the golden crown.

Success is failure turned inside out—
The silver tint of the clouds of doubt,
And you never can tell how close you are,
It may be near when it seems afar;
So stick to the fight when you’re hardest hit—
It’s when things seem worst that you mustn’t quit.

Edgar A. Guest. “Keep Going.” Family Friend Poems, https://www.familyfriendpoems.com/poem/keep-going-by-edgar-guest

So, given that, when do you give up?

I’m in the midst of a project that may very well be a little too similar to that determined daddy bird valiantly defending his family.

Should I give up?

If so, when? At what point have I done enough?

I have never been able to figure that out.

Let’s just say I feel better about myself beating a dead horse than quitting. I usually land in the treetops, but I’ve never wound up in the mud.

How about you?

Take a look at your thumb. Do the joints line up with your natural inclination when confronted with what could be an insurmountable challenge? Are you a tree dweller or confined to the ground?

Feel free to leave your thoughts in the comments below.

Meanwhile, I need to get back to work.

P.S. It’s been quiet outside for quite awhile. I just hope he figured it out and I don’t find a dead bluebird outside my window…

Never mind. He’s back.