A Year Withour Hershi

A year ago today, at 9:40am, I said goodbye to my beloved pet. The year since has been full of grieving, and healing from said grief. While the space where she used to be still aches, I think I've made good progress thus far. Making a memorial page for her definitely helped the process.

It's funny in a way that last year I thought to myself "I'll have so much trouble getting into the Halloween spirit from now on because of this" But weirdly, it sort of re-ignited my love of Halloween? I've been feeling quite demotivated to do anything with the spooky season for a couple years now. But this year, I guess it gives me a reason? To take solace in the thinned veil?

I've believed in ghosts since I was small. While I never bought into those ghost detectors or messed with ouija boards, I figured I could feel them. I'm not sure about an afterlife beyond that, but I like to think spirits linger in a way. It's why traditions around Day of the Dead feels so cozy to me. Remember those passed, and they'll remain with you.

A day or two after Hershis passing, I had a dream. There was scratching at my front door. I opened it and Hershi hopped up the steps to greet me. I'm still emotional about it, honestly. That she came back in my dreams to let me know it's okay.

I figured it would be best to post about this today. This dog was my world, and I hers. It's something else, when you lose an animal you spent so long with. But I've gotten better; and I'm getting even better still.

Love your pets while you got 'em.