9-We Sleep All Day

3/365-Sleeping, originally uploaded by monica jennison.

I've always had intense bonds with all of my animals. I've just never gotten the concept of having "just pets". My pets are always my best friends, my rocks, my sanity. No matter what is going on, I can always cuddle with my cat or dog, talk to them, spoil them, vent to them, etc. They just always understand. Each of my pets has always been uniquely special to me.
The first pet I ever had, Hazel, was born a year before I was. She died when I was 14. She was an amazing soul and lived 8 years beyond her life expectancy. She was a fighter. All of my animals have been.
Throughout all of my years, I've only ever lost two pets, and they were both to old age, and despite the sadness of loss, this makes me very happy to know. I haven't had a pet ripped form my arms by tragedy. They lived out their lives to the very end, and went peacefully.
The little guy in this photo is Ringo, and like all my other pets, he's unique and special in his own little way. I think he's more human in his qualities than all of my other animals have been. Ringo is emotional, just like I am (I have no problem admitting it!). When his brother passed away (even though he wasn't living with him anymore), he moped around the whole day and would look at me with this incredible sadness in his eyes. When I'm crying and upset, he cuddles up with me, will lick my tears away, or meow as if to say he understands.
That kind of thing, with all of my animals, has always amazed me. But like I said, I've always had some kind of special connection to my pets. I encourage all of you to form special bonds with the living things around you, whether it be a pet, a plant, a tree, anything. The universe is full of energy and life, and there's nothing wrong with embracing that.