Goodbye Petey
I wondered why the cats were all acting stressed out this morning. Fancy and Eli won't leave my side. Now I know why. Petey is gone.
There are those who think the little "Pocket Pets" are somehow not as significant as a dog or a cat. Others consider them nothing more than glorified rodents. Well, they would be wrong. That little soul was so sweet and loving. He gave us a lot of joy and laughter. I can remember him sharing birthday cake with us. Our granddaughter loved to give him treats. And he knew when the grandkids were here.
Every time I lose a pet I wonder why I put myself through this. I am still not over the loss of the Frenchies and I can't think about my horse, Poco, without bursting into tears. This is why people don't want to get another pet when they lose one. It just hurts too much. Others think getting another pet too soon is almost a betrayal - like you are replacing them.
I think it has a lot to do with how you view life, love and loss. Love is a tricky thing. It is a risk, in a way, to love. Loving someone means you are willing to take the chance your heart will be broken someday. Those with a "hard heart" are often those who've been hurt. And a person who's been abandoned will most likely be especially sensitive to not wanting to replace a lost pet with another. I think people who wanted love as a child, but didn't quite get what they needed, will either have a hardened heart, or will try to fill the void with as much love as possible.
Personally, I think love is the thing that gives us hope. It's the thing that makes it worth getting up every day. If everything you do isn't out of love, then you've missed the point. And love is. It can't be turned on and off like a faucet. Once you've loved and lost, you should keep loving. Trying to portion it out or keep it "safe" only diminishes it.
I had a friend who bred dogs. During one particularly difficult period, she lost several dogs at once. I asked her how she could bear so much loss at once. She told me that's why it's so important to love them as much as you can while they're with you, then when they're gone, love another in honor of the lost one. Love doesn't "age" like wine. It is meant to be used and shared. And it won't drain you. Actually, loving more expands your heart to an amazing capacity.
Well, I will end with a funny story. After all, I did make two promises: 1) to write about animals and 2) to try to be funny.
I've been cleaning all morning; confusing everybody with this thing they never see me do. I went out to the garage to get the large trash can cause I'm serious. After feeding the squirrels their daily allotment of peanuts, I went to bring the trash can in through the front door. After sliding on the deflated Halloween decoration spanning the front entry and turning my ankle, I thought how ridiculous it is, me not even able to step over something flat without getting hurt.
Then, when I walked back through the garage to open the front door, because I wasn't smart enough to unlock it before going outside, I discovered someone had thrown up in my shoe. I stood there for awhile, puzzled. I mean, this is a fairly large place. Why would somebody decide to use my shoe to deposit a barf? I just shook my head and took the shoe out to hose it down. I have so much to do today. I just hope my right ankle, left big toe, knees, hips and right arm hold out! Getting old is not for wimps.
There are no pictures today. I shared some of Petey yesterday and didn't think anyone would want to see a visual of my vomit filled shoe...
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