ALONE IN GRIEF

COMPASSION

- Rachana

My lovely pet Tango went on his eternal journey on 23rd of January; he was 16 years old. His death was not a shock for me; I have been priming my mind to face the dreadful day, but I was not equipped for processing the sadness that his death would engulf me in, I stood witness to the grief of my other pet Sikander; regrettably, I did not have a witness to my grief.

David Kessler quotes “In Grief everyone needs one Witness”.

Sikander was 40 days old, when I held this tiny fluffy puppy in my arms, I expected magic in his eyes, but there was none; rather he was uncertain and scared. Today, he is 16 years old with few health issues and we share an extraordinary bond.

Tango was my rescue baby; he came to me at the age of five after being forsaken by his owners. When our eyes locked for the first time there was magic untold.

Henceforth, we were a small family of three, our own holy trinity.

Time was in a haste, they both were teenagers now, Tango’s long locks swept the floor, his clumsiness was adorable, his sluggishness was getting apparent, one morning he chased squirrels and the same evening he was diagnosed with 2 heart valves malfunction… his life changed so did mine, his health parameters were declining fast, he started showing signs of progressive dementia, stiffjoints, and tooth decay, by the end of his 14th year he was diagnosed with kidney stones, his frail little body was unable to take the burden of multiple diseases.