I don’t know what’s worse, having other people underestimate you or underestimating yourself. Both kind of blow. Sometimes you underestimate yourself, yet you find that you could indeed do whatever it was that you didn’t think you could do. That’s very uplifting and a hell of a confidence builder.

Having had other people underestimate your abilities or reach just tends to make me mad. And bitchy. Well, at least that’s how it affects me. I get kind of upset.

And then there are the things I wouldn’t dream of attempting.

One thing that always stunned me were my classmates from high school who simply picked up, got married and began having children when they were 19 or 20. How did they do that? The entire concept terrified me. Kids? A husband? At that age? I was mystified, not because the entire idea made me want to whack myself over the head with a cast iron skillet, but because it just seemed so hard. I mean, Good God, there are easier paths in life to choose than that.

I asked a classmate friend of mine who ended up with three kids, probably before she was 25 and her answer, although probably entirely truthful, stunned me. She said, “When you’re that age, you don’t know you can’t, and so you just end up just doing what you need to do.”

“So, you chose to do it?”

“Not really; it just seemed like, well, that was just what you did.”

Oh.

Then of course came the, “If I had it to do over again…blah,blah,blah…but I would never have skipped the kids! I adore my children!”

Well, of course she does.

Naturally, I thought the woman had lost her mind starting around the time she underestimated herself and decided that getting married and having kids was her only option.

I guess you’re all wondering where the “Parrot Aspect” fits into this. Well, it does and it doesn’t. Life with parrots is a part of our life. And as I’ve always maintained, if it takes up a fair chunk of your life, then you might be doing it right.

That said, I’m all for cutting down the workload and creating more spare time so you can actually have a life. Because parrots should be a part of your life. They should enhance the quality your life and make it better. More fun.

The easier and more efficient something is, the more likely you are going to enjoy it. If you have happy, healthy, well trained parrots, then you’re going to like your life a hell of a lot more than if you didn’t. It might take some work and effort to get there, but once you do, you and your family and your birds will be happier.

It’s up to us to work out how to make that happen. And if you say you can’t, then well, I think you’re underestimating yourself.

I’m always open to new ideas about how to make life with parrots, easier, more efficient, happier, cleaner and more sane. If you have any brilliant, innovative ways of doing things, send them here! We could always use some new techniques, new methods, or a cool way to save time.