Today is one of those days I can’t help but reflect.

Barnabess

It was three years ago today that my dear little kitty was hit by a car on a neighboring street. The unsuspecting little thing, barely 2 years old, was boundlessly energetic and playful. She was the friendliest cat I’ve ever known, and also the most like a real person. She visited my neighbors when they left their doors open, played with squirrels and birds and took a break from all of her other important business of the day when she knew I was sad or stressed to come visit me and sit on my lap. She and I were inseparable: I flew with her from California and Michigan for Christmas one year to introduce her to the snow. We moved at least three times in our two years together, and were preparing to cross continents together when she left me. My friends loved her, too. Even the ones who didn’t like cats.

I think about the past years, and all that’s happened. The places I have traveled and the people I’ve met. I think about how having Barnabess made me feel like an adult: stable, “real” and responsible. And maybe that was a good feeling, or something I needed to learn, just out of college. But more importantly, I think she taught me to be a better friend.

My life today is much better because she was in it.

Rest in Peace, Barnabess.