Career News 24/7: The Cynical Girl: F@%K It Friday: When Your Animal Dies, It’s OK to Grieve

Saturday, March 23, 2013

The Cynical Girl: F@%K It Friday: When Your Animal Dies, It’s OK to Grieve

F@%K It Friday: When Your Animal Dies, It’s OK to Grieve

Posted: 22 Mar 2013 03:45 AM PDT

Lucy_BW This week is a sad week for me. Two years ago, Lucy died.

If I am honest about it, her death really broke my heart. I know that my feelings don’t make sense. Lucy was highly vocal, and I miss talking to her. And she was an easy roommate who never asked for much in return. How could I not miss that fuzzy gato?

I am writing about Lucy because I have a half-dozen friends who are caught up in animal grief, right now. Like me, many of them adopted cats and dogs in their 20s. This is the time in our lives when we lose our first pet.

So if you’re going through the pain and sadness of losing an animal, I can share this with you: It is very helpful to talk about it. Even though it might not make sense to some people, it is ok to remember the fun things you loved about your companion. And you can talk about this at work.

In my life, Lucy lives on through shared stories and memories. We talk about her all of the time. And I have two pictures of her in my house. Those pictures aren’t going anywhere.

I know that losing a beloved animal is so tough. I haven’t adopted any animals since I went through the experience of Lucy’s death, but I still believe in the lines from Alfred, Lord Tennyson:

I hold it true, whate’er befall;
I feel it when I sorrow most;
‘Tis better to have loved and lost
Than never to have loved at all.

Miss you, Spruce Goose.

It was worth it.