Birds

I have this stupid fear of birds. It's completely irrational and unfounded.

When I was about 10, I was at a friends house and she really wanted me to hold her bird. I really didn't want too. When I had my back turned she put the bird on my shoulder. I felt something on my shoulder and turned my head to find myself nose to nose with the dreaded bird. I screamed and threw my shoulder. The bird hit the wall and I hit the door. That was my first "encounter" with a bird. (Don't worry, the bird lived, I think I just stunned it a little bit)

A couple of years later I was babysitting for a lady. When I walked in the door, a bird flew threw the room. I tried to maintain my composure as she said "I let the bird out to fly around a little. She'll go back in her cage when she's ready and you can just close the door when she does." I suddenly became very interested in the kids toys. In their rooms. With the door closed. I'd send the 4 year old out every now and again to check if the bird was in it's cage. I did not come out until it was.

A few years ago we were at Sea World. I was leaning over the dolphin encounter with a little fishy in hand trying to get them to come to me. Out of nowhere a Sea Gull flies at me, hits me in the face with it's wing and steals the fish out of my hand. It sure is a good thing Hubbie was holding a very small Little Man, cause I probably would have dropped him in the water when I screamed!

I really could go on and on. It's totally stupid, but what is annoying is that people think I need to be cured of this fear. Everywhere I go people say "Oh that is just silly, here hold my bird" I bolt for the door and don't come back until they know I mean business (ask Hubbie's grandma, she KNOWS I'm serious)

So last night I had a dream. I was sitting in a room talking with a designer. We were prepping for some kind of room makeover show. (Don't really know what that was all about!) I keep hearing this really weird noise and when I ask the home owner what that noise is she says "Oh, that's fluffy. Fluffy come here" Out of another room flies a very large bird, like a red Macaw type bird. I get up and go sit behind a chair with a pillow over my head. (My fear kicks in quickly, and I usually don't care how stupid I look) At this point in my dream my brother Bryce shows up and says "Ha Ha, don't mind her, she's deathly afraid of birds." Like they always do, the owner says "Oh that is so silly she wouldn't hurt a fly" and proceeds to put the bird on my back (cause I'm hunched over, still with a pillow over my head) it crawls up my back to my head and even through the pillow I can feel it's little claws digging into my head. Everyone is laughing, I'm holding my breath... And at that point I wake up nearly hyper-ventilating. And then I started crying. Even though it was totally a dream and I realized that, it was so real that I layed there crying like a baby. Even now I'm shuddering as I write this.

Do you think I need counseling?