#but I defenetly recomend domesticated birds

[for-the-outliers]

This is the story of how a little bird changed my life.

earlier this week I was looking up the meaning of a couple flowers for a project i’m working on. that’s when I stumbled across the meaning of Daisies. I read through it and thought of my little cockatiel at home. then I just started bawling.

   “ The daisy represents innocence, new beginnings, ans a true/pure love for someone or something....The daisy’s message is, ultimately, one of hope and renewal.in sending daises the sender hopes the viewer will see the world as they once did as a child.”

I got my cockatiel a little over 10 years ago. I was 11 years old and honestly very depressed. I was being bullied at school and was being abused at my dads house.  I didn’t have any friends, I had no one.I felt completely alone. I had a breakdown at school and was suicidal. My parents were very worried and wanted to get me help. I talked to the school psychologist and started to get things sorted out (things at school were getting better, I moved classes and the group of girls who had been hurting and harassing me for the past few years were suspended. I told them what was happening with my step-mom  and my parents agreed that I wasn’t to be around her anymore.) things were better but the damage was done. I hated myself. I had no clue how to be around other kids or make friends. I had been isolated for so long that I didn’t know where to start. I was still very alone. True the abuse stopped and things were better. But I was still depressed. They talked about medication but wanted to try something first. An emotional support animal ...but they didn’t call them that yet. If I couldn’t make people friends yet, what about an animal friend. I loved animals and my parents were planning on getting a dog. Then my parents decided that since they traveled a lot and both worked. That probably wasn’t the best idea (I also lived with my dad part of the time.) 

What about a bird? Specifically a parakeet?. I was ecstatic! I loved bird watching and would spend hours at the riparian park with field guides and binoculars. I did this very weekend, while my mom was out running errands. She would pick me up and I would just spend the next half hour rambling on about every type of bird and reptile I saw. So It was decided. It was my 11th birthday. We went to a exotic bird store in mesa, looking for a hand fed parakeet. I had done all the research, I had saved my money to have a good set up and proper food. We walked in and talked to the owner about what we were looking for and if she had any hand-fed blue parakeets available. She took one look at me and said “ a parakeet? For this little sweetheart? Na those things are like tiny pitbulls! Let me show ya something.” she went to the back and came back with this little cockatiel on her hand “ I hand fed this girl myself, she’s a beautiful pearl and sweetest one of the bunch. Here, ask her to step up” and this baby cockatiel stepped up on my hand no problem. We took her home and I named her Daisy. We returned all the parakeet stuff. Got a big cast iron cage for her and that’s when my life started to change.

Now of course she didn’t change everything. But she became my best friend. I wasn’t alone anymore. She taught me how to be patient and let her come to me. To love her even if she didn’t show affection the way that was expected. I could understand that. After all I was on the autism spectrum. I didn’t talk the way others did, I was very quiet and shy. I hated people touching me. I would get upset and just didn’t know why. She didn’t want to be touched but just wanted to be with you. She would listen to me ramble on about whatever thing I was obsessed with. She didn’t care as long as she was with/near me. She didn’t care if I was crying and upset over something that didn’t make sense. She would just be happily preening and grinding her beak. 

My life was changing for the better and now I had a friend. I was happier and more confident. I started volunteering at my local bird rescue and environmental education center. I would got to events. I was making friends who liked the same things as me. I got to high school I did well and eventually got to college. I served a successful mission, im half way to getting my degree in biology. I have some good and close friends. As well as 2 jobs. One with special needs kids and one at a homeless shelter. It all started with a little bird named daisy.

#long post #like a hella long post #daisy is doing well #I still and alwyas will love her #yelling into the void #daisy #cockatiel #oh yeah... #don't get your kids parrots #it happened to work out in my case #but I defenetly recomend domesticated birds #parrots are very hard to take care of properly #also I personally love pittbulls #lady running the exotic bird shop didn't #birblr #birds #parrots #cockatiels