As I muse this week, and do some reading, I came across an interesting fact about Eagles, the other day. I mean Eagles, the birds and not the music group. Eagles enjoy the longest life expectancy amongst all birds. They can normally live up to 70 years. However, they don’t have a very easy life as they have to make a very critical decision at the age of 40. When Eagles turn 40, their claws weaken and it becomes very hard for them to catch preys. Their beaks become very long and get curved and almost touches their chest. Their wings also become very heavy due to thick and long feathers. This results in a difficult situation for the Eagles as it becomes difficult to fly, catch preys and survive. The beaks hurt the chest also and survival becomes a challenge.

            At this stage, the Eagles have only two choices. One is to die and the other is to undergo a painful transformation which requires 150 days of perseverance and steadfastness. They have to fly to the top of the mountain, build their home there and rest. In order to relieve themselves of the pain being caused by their beaks, the Eagles hit their beaks against the rocks till they fall off. Then they wait patiently for the new beaks to grow. Once the new beaks grow, they use them to pull out their nails. With their newly grown nails, they will clean off their old feathers. 5 months later, the Eagles will be ready to fly again with their new feathers. Thus they renew their strength to live for another 30 years!