What is a pet fish? A pet fish cannot cuddle you, it cannot talk or listen to you. So what emotional attachment does one have with their pet fish? This is what I asked myself when my pet fish, Gamble, passed away. I came home from college and I peered into the fish tank to find that Gamble had passed away. I sat there looking at Gamble, who had become stiff and colorless, and wondered why I felt so sad. Losing a pet fish isn’t usually a big deal but for some reason I felt so upset. Even though I never spent much time with Gamble, and the only interactions I've had with my fish was to feed him, his passing still impacted me harsher than I had assumed it would. I think those who might not have been close to their pet fish but have lost their pet fish might be familiar with this sense of distant sadness. I feel that we don’t really understand how attached we get to something until it’s gone.
We take many things for granted. I never thought I would be sad about my passing fish but I was. Life can surprise you that way. What I learned from this is to appreciate what I do have. For instance, I never really took the time to appreciate my parent's support. Since I was born, they supplied me with everything that I ever needed or wanted. I always assumed that my parents' support was a right and not a privilege. I felt this way up until I went away to college. When I got to college, my parents were no longer there to help me with every bump in the road. This was definitely a shock because I had to watch out for myself. There was no one to buy groceries but me, there was no one to restock the bathroom and do the laundry but me. I had to learn how to do everything on my own. I learned to appreciate what my parents had to do for years.
So like losing a pet fish, my parents' support for me was gone with no warning. I really didn't expect to lose Gamble. The feeling of loss in a place you least expect it is hard and confusing, but we can grow more knowledgeable and stronger because of it.
In the end, what I hope you learn from my experience is that things come and go faster than you expect sometimes, and to appreciate what you have. In my case, I learned to take care of myself and how to be a proper adult. I also bought a new pet fish named Bea who I appreciate a lot more now due to my loss of Gamble.
