Lately, I've been quite depressed and barely able to function. Worse, there's been terrible things going on in the world. So, I decided to do what anybody should do in times like this. Drink—I mean, count my blessings. Yes, count my blessings. So I decided to write this article about the most important people in my life: my cats. They are my children and my reason for waking up in the morning. I hope you enjoy it and come up with your own poem for your favorite person in the whole wide world.

I have two cats. A gray, orange, black, white tabby named Cassandra (we call her Cassie) and a black kitten growing white patches of fur named Loki. Cassandra is named after Cassandra Pentaghast from Dragon Age Inquisition, one of my favorite games from Bioware. She is a diva who suffers from anxiety. She hates being touched when she didn't request it and will kill you if you bother her when she doesn't want your attention. Somewhere inside her is a loving kitty who loves me and would probably eat me last if my fiancé and I died, and I'm grateful for that. She loves me even when I don't love me. She also was the only one who could truly get through to me when I was in the darkest throes of depression. For this, I'm super grateful. She's an awesome cat.

Loki is named after the Norse god, not the Marvel version Loki. He's the most adorable, loving little eunuch kitty that I recently adopted from the nearby Humane Society. He was originally named Stevie Wonder, but he wasn't very musical, or blind. Plus, from the minute he left the shelter he revealed to us his mischievous nature. He immediately entered our home very confidently and got into everything. He explored the curtains. He stole Cassie's toys. He attempted to snuggle with Cassie and she let him. He tangled himself in the blinds and got into bags of all kinds. He simply is the lord of mischief here, and he knows that we're weak and will let him co-lord with Cassie. I'm thankful for him because he's the Yin to Cassie's Yang.

Cassie reminds me that while you may not always get the comfort or praise that you want, it's good to simply do things because someone else needs that help. Cassie isn't the most cuddly cat, but she does tell me that she loves me in other ways and it's taught me to be more patient with people like her. Loki is still teaching me more patience, but it's more of a trade off. He gives me the cuddles that Cassie used to give me when she was his age as well as twice the mayhem she caused. Really, he's simply my reward for growing as a person. At least, that's how I view it. I love these two. They're the most important things in my life, and I wouldn't trade them for anything. So here's to you, Cassie and Loki. Y'all my babies and constantly teach me to be a better person.