Three Years

There has to be something said for the intimate relationship that exists between human animals and animals.  I'm not exactly what that something should be, but as a writer, I'll try to put something together for you, the reader...

This weekend marks the third year of Jito being in my life.  To him, there is little to no remembrance of any other life.  Or at least that's what I can imagine.  For even though he can't fully communicate his inner thoughts, deeper stories, or any labelled emotions that any human friend of mine may be able to do, I'm pretty sure he loves me just as much.

Three years.

A lot has happened in the last three years of my life.  I think of all these amazing lessons I've gone through, the thousands of people I've met, hundreds of friends I've made, and the one constant that has been there the whole time - Jito.

Of course, I've had friends much longer than three years, and my family has been there for me my entire life.  But none of them have been there every single day.  Over the last three years, I've lived in four different places, had eight different jobs, dated a dozen different men, made literally over a  hundred new friends (I'm a networking slut, what can I say!) - half a dozen of them I consider close friends - and learned some pretty massive life lessons.  For example:
 - I began living alone to learn financial independence and social acceptance
 - I quit my ladder-climbing job (despite being broke) to find happiness over riches
 - I learned that your soul mate only helps you discover more about yourself, rather than staying with you forever
 - I discovered my true talent of being a spinster
 - I lost 40 pounds, gained 15, lost 30 pounds, gained 15, lost 20 pounds, gained 15 and learned how to keep myself motivated enough to live healthier rather than lose weight
 - I changed my entire way of thinking about food by learning how to NOT cook it!
 - I grew my own garden (surprisingly for the first time EVER by myself....and the only corn in my patch was two big fake stalks!)
 - I fixed my bike tire....eight times in 2 months...and learned that sometimes it's better to investigate the WHOLE problem rather than just fix the symptoms...
 - I learned how to be generous...AND then how to allow others to love me for who I am rather than just my generosity
 - I created a whole Festival on my own...and then still went through the actions of enjoying it while mourning a loved one
 - I learned how to create boundaries for myself....and respect the boundaries of others
 - I started my own company and watched it flounder and die all on its own (while I worked for mutli-billion dollar international company)
 - I took in a friend's feline when she needed a place to live...and learned how to love her, even if she wasn't the baby I'd known all of her life...

And that's what made me realize how special my relationship with Jito is.  It may have only been three year, he may have "only" been a cat, but he's been there every day when I got home from work, regardless of what that work was.  He's been the one cuddling with me, regardless of who I was blaming for my broken heart. He's listened to my side of all the arguments I've gone through with my family. He's loved being like a dog, being terrified of a dog, and loving being a cat. He's taken a timid, terrified, love-needing solitary cat and turned her into a playful, loved, chasing-him-around-the-house friend. And every once in awhile, when I begin to think that everything in life is completely normal - like discussing the variance in the results of my bowel movements with coworkers - and made me question how intimate one should really be with their animal companion. (Is it ever ok for a male to wear my panties, even if it is accidental?)

And through all this, my love for him has never changed.  From the moment he was curled up in a long log of kitten in my T-shirt to the moment he looked up at me to be petted while I was peeing, there has never been a day when my love has faltered. Even in a bout of anger, I knew that I would be devastated if he weren't there.  When he was missing for two days, I couldn't think about anything BUT the fact that he may never return. And, so, perhaps, with Jito, I may not be his mother, but I definitely know the impact a love like that can have.  That, I think, is what everybody refers to as unconditional love.  And THAT is why I could never imagine eating another sentient being ever again...