I lost my bird in Feb, and folks are already showing me links to other birds to adopt, pigeons and parrots in need of a home, and I'm sitting here like "Why do you think a companion I had for THIRTY-THREE YEARS is so easily replaceable?"
I am NOT ready for another long term commitment to another long-lived pet when I still greet my bird when I come home, and am answered by silence- a silence that doesn't end, and is incredibly heavy after three decades of having his chirps as part of my natural ambient noise.
Maybe in time, I'll adopt another pet. But right now, I'm still mourning. I finally got to the point where I don't cry immediately when thinking about my bird- but I still do. I still feel his absence like a lead weight in my chest, or a static-filled void in the space he used to occupy.
For me, it would be an insult to him, to our life together, our memories, to simply shrug and go "okay, next pet!"
Maybe that works for some people, but I sure as fuck am not one of them.
(The only consideration I've made for another pet is a small critter that is hands off, but still needs care, so I have something to combat the depression- a jumping spider- but even that is FAR in the future.)
Healing takes time, and it's unfair to one's self, the deceased pet, and a future pet that will very likely end up being subconsciously compared to the last pet- and reality never lives up to memories, as they tend to become biased over time.
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(Anonymous) 2025-05-28 04:55 pm (UTC)(link)100%.
I lost my bird in Feb, and folks are already showing me links to other birds to adopt, pigeons and parrots in need of a home, and I'm sitting here like "Why do you think a companion I had for THIRTY-THREE YEARS is so easily replaceable?"
I am NOT ready for another long term commitment to another long-lived pet when I still greet my bird when I come home, and am answered by silence- a silence that doesn't end, and is incredibly heavy after three decades of having his chirps as part of my natural ambient noise.
Maybe in time, I'll adopt another pet. But right now, I'm still mourning. I finally got to the point where I don't cry immediately when thinking about my bird- but I still do. I still feel his absence like a lead weight in my chest, or a static-filled void in the space he used to occupy.
For me, it would be an insult to him, to our life together, our memories, to simply shrug and go "okay, next pet!"
Maybe that works for some people, but I sure as fuck am not one of them.
(The only consideration I've made for another pet is a small critter that is hands off, but still needs care, so I have something to combat the depression- a jumping spider- but even that is FAR in the future.)
Healing takes time, and it's unfair to one's self, the deceased pet, and a future pet that will very likely end up being subconsciously compared to the last pet- and reality never lives up to memories, as they tend to become biased over time.