I am an animal lover by nature, but I had zero interest in having a pet bird. I had other pets to keep me busy, so I wasn't missing out on anything... or so I thought. Then I met Rowan. I hadn't even noticed him at first, but at the pet store, it was pointed out to me that he was going crazy trying to get my attention. I knew very little about parrots, but I spent a good half an hour interacting with him. He loved me from first sight, ignored anyone else walking past, and I understood without a doubt that he wanted to come home with me. Knowing how crazily impulsive that was, I don't think I slept for the next few days while I researched endlessly, but I was his and he was mine after that first day. I visited him daily until I brought him home, but every interaction had that same sense of "being right" that is hard to explain. I honestly believe that leaving him at that store would have been one of, if not the, single biggest regret in my life.
Before, I would have thought that a bird picking someone was silly or at the very least anthropomorphizing to an absurd extent, but birds just KNOW who they want, and possibly even more who they don't want, and they make it very clear. My second bird, Elliot, was rescued by my mom... but he hated her from day one,

. He was neutral on me at first, but now he is as loving as Rowan. I think that being chosen and growing a bond with a bird are both equally wonderful experiences. But when you do meet a bird and can feel that instant connection, there is no doubt whatsoever. You just know. Unfortunately it then falls to the human to uphold their part in the bond that was formed, and many humans aren't able to meet those demands for animals as intelligent and emotional as parrots.
