(TW: Rats, Loss, Loss of a Pet)
I wish I could say that I have a good reason for why I didn’t end up making this post six days ago but, I don’t. On Wednesday, one of my six rats, Bean, everybody’s favorite made her way across the rainbow bridge after three long, beautiful years together. And while I could go on, and on, and on about her, and how I feel about her, and how losing her made me feel… that would honestly just kick up the feelings that I’ve been trying to push past for the past couple days to be able to function as a human being again.
So, it’s fair to say that 2023 is not kicking off to the best start. My only comfort in this is knowing that rats, pet rats, have a life expectancy of 2-4 years in captivity, and the oldest lived to be 7. Past 2-3 years is incredibly rare, and so very precious, so knowing that I had her for three years, is so incredibly precious to me. I love her, and I miss her, and I will miss her forever. There will not be a day where I go to the door of the rat cage, say hello to my girls, and not expect, or want that excited wibble-wobble to come running up to me.
For those of you who don’t mind pictures of rats, I’m going to leave one of my absolute favorite pictures of my little Mocha Bean right here for you. It’s from a couple weeks ago, now, where I gave the rats one M&M each. Because, unlike dogs and cats, rats can have chocolate- they shouldn’t have it much, or often but, I wanted my girls to have a special treat since Bean, Pumpkin, Vanilla, and Marshmallow have spent 3 Christmases with me. And Café, my youngest baby, who Angel and I adopted in the beginning of last year, will have spent her very first Christmas with me. Even Piglet, the sugar glider, got a teeny tiny taste of melted chocolate.
(Don’t come for me, their lives are short, two or three tiny licks of melted chocolate won’t hurt anybody.)
But even so, I still want to do this whole 2023 goals thing… I spent days making a TikTok about it, where I went through with playing little effects, and stickers, and it’s just been sitting in my drafts. For awhile, I thought that maybe I should just delete it because it is past the first of the year and then I remembered something important… it is never too late to start over, and it is never too late to do the things you love.
So, this year, is going to be different. No “new year, new me” bullshit, in a traditional sense. Because the truth is, I’m not the same person that I was at the start of 2022. My health is worse, my tolerance for bullshit is lower, and my drive to do better, and make myself proud is a lot higher. So, here we go, this year’s goals.
2023 Goals:
- Read more.
On Goodreads, I’ve pledges 123-books for myself this year.
- Write more.
I talk about wanting to be a writer. Less talking, more writing.
- Go on more adventures.
If 2022 taught me anything, it’s that I love going on adventures with the people I love.
- Cook More!
Four seems like plenty, especially when there are some days I feel like I can’t even get out of bed. Honestly though, there’s one more but, it’s not one that I think I’m going to share yet. Keep your eyes peeled though because, someday, I am going to share it. Loudly, and proudly. Because, honestly, I believe that everyone should always be able to be their authentic selves, without fear of being judged.
What are some of your goals for this year?
-Sky
Skyla N. Lambert
Author | Blogger | Bookworm | Overthinker
E. skylanarissalambert@gmail.com
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