The human body is a strange but extraordinary machine. One we often take for granted. You might be consciously appreciative of your heart, lungs and legs, but when was the last time you paid homage to your eyebrows? Your eyelashes? Your goosebumps? Perhaps the idea of praising these supposedly useless body parts seems nutty, but think again:

Eyebrows, or the “face’s fuzzy caterpillars” (at least, according to the last five year old I had a conversation with), are the crescent-line of hair above our eyelids. Besides being an obvious outlet for nonverbal communication, they’re also a key facet of our physical beauty. If you’re a little skeptical, imagine your closest friends, teachers and parents without their eyebrows. Try not to laugh. There’s plenty of people (women and men alike) who spend an extensive amount of time preening and plucking their brows, shaping and filling to achieve that perfect shape. Even Jack Black once said, “You must never underestimate the power of the eyebrow.” He’s right. Eyebrows also serve as a speedbump for dust and sweat, ensuring they don’t fall in and irritate your sensitive eyes.

What if some dust passes through your brows anyway? No worries. Here’s a backup plan with little backlash: our eyelashes. Those little hairs that accentuate our eyes aren’t just something to be primped with mascara. Eyelashes catch sweat, dust and sand. They sweep away those annoying air particles that are nearly invisible to the naked eye, and keep our precious eyeballs clean and safe.

Eyebrows and eyelashes have very specific jobs, and there’s certainly nothing loosey-goosey about this next body reflex. Goose bumps, goose pimples, or, scientifically known, cutis anserina are those little bumps on your skin that make guest appearances in times of fear and cold. To peg a purpose to these bumps you’ll have to look at our primitive ancestors. Back when humans were far more hairy, getting goosebumps would raise the skin and therefore “fluff” the natural fur coat. This served as insulation and intimidation (imagine an angry cat arching its back and setting its hair on edge) to ward off enemies. Clearly, evolution has stripped us of these human fur coats, but goose bumps have withstood.

Now, I don’t expect you to throw a parade for your eyebrows, eyelashes and goosebumps (oh my!). But it’s always humbling to remember that every single part of your body–no matter how small–performs a particular function to keep you warm and protect your vision. If each of these parts works how it should, eye’d say you are more than just lucky; you’re healthy, and that’s something to never take for granted.