Recently I was talking with a friend while we were waiting for our girls to finish gymnastics. My friend lost her husband very unexpectedly a few years ago when her daughter was only 3 years old. The last few years have been hard for her to say the least but we were talking about how some people don’t seem to have any problem asking for help while there are others, (ourselves included) who find it so so hard to ask for help. She told me about some work she needed done on her house and how she’s been putting it off because she hates to ask for help. Then she told me about how she had this bird that was building a nest above the fan on her patio. She said the fan is directly over their table so she was determined not to let the bird build a nest there. She told me how she found some old plastic snakes to put up there and the bird completely ignored it and built her nest. She took the nest down again and moved the snakes around a little. Not only did the bird build the nest again, but she also picked up the plastic snake and moved it off of the fan and into the yard. Once again, she removed the nest and this time she said she added zip ties and got a newer more realistic plastic snake.

The picture below is what it looks like now. My friend finally just gave up and let the bird have her babies and then she said she will move the nest again and try something new.

I laughed so hard when she showed me this picture, but I also couldn’t help but think, “This is what grit looks like! This is what determination looks like.”

In life, there are so many things that try to stand in the way of your dreams. It might be finances. It might be self doubt. It might be conflict that arises from friends and/or family who maybe don’t understand your goals. It might be health problems or losses along the way. So many things can happen and there are so many reasons you can find to give up. I guess that’s one of the hardships of the human experience here on earth. But as I look at that bird’s nest, I am reminded of what true grit and determination look like. When I look at my friend navigating life as a single mom, I am reminded of what true grit and determination look like. It’s not always pretty. It’s not always fun… and sometimes, it’s downright scary, but sometimes you just gotta keep building that nest!