There are some words that hold different meanings, which are based on what the writer means and how they use it.
A word can mean for me what it doesn’t mean to you, but that doesn’t make your opinion biased or any less valid.
A ‘’hero’’ can be defined as a person you idolize for a specific heroic act they’ve done. That’s what the word ‘’hero’’ means for most people. However, that’s not what it means to me.
My hero is the most brave, loving and caring soul I know.

My hero is a little orange kitten with the most stunning blue bell eyes to ever exist.

My hero is my Nemo.

On May 19th the world smiled at me and sent me a 40-day old fluffy kitten that I found alone between the flowerpots on my stairwell.

' God only knows how much I needed an angel like her in my life.'

Even before I brought her inside, even before I chose her name, I knew she was destined to be my kitty, and she knew it too. There was a certain gleam I could see in her eyes which told me that she chose me to be her mother.

If you have ever watched the movie finding Nemo, you know that it’s a story in where 2 fish -father and son- look hard and swim infinite miles in the ocean and face multiple obstacles only to find each other because they complete one another.

That's Nemo for me.

I found her during my darkest days when I was at an all-time low. She slept beside me every night and licked my tears away when I cried. She was there when I had no one to talk to or spend my time with. She was there to calm me down whenever I panicked. she was there for me when I didn't know I even needed someone.
She was there to bite the corners of my books to mark them like a personalized library stamp. She was there to cuddle me when I was feeling down and take naps with me. She was there to greet me at the door when I came home. She witnessed me dancing around while singing in my room. She knocked on my door whenever it was closed to let her in and she would sit on my textbooks whenever she saw how tired I was because of school and beg for me to pet her because she knew I needed a break.

People say that pets don’t understand you, and that their actions are caused by reflex, but I can assure that they are wrong. Just by looking in Nemo’s eyes, I knew she understood me like no one ever has. Like no one ever will.
She made me a better person. She made me appreciate life no matter how crazy it gets, to experience new things and to not be afraid of what life has to offer. She made me realize that every moment matters, because in a split second, all of it can be taken away.

' Just like you were taken away far too soon.'

These are just a few of the lessons that Nemo has taught me.

' I owe you everything for teaching me that.'

It is a very sad reality the death of a loved one. We all know that our time in this world is limited, and that eventually all of us will end up underneath some sheet, never to wake up again. And yet it is always a surprise when it happens to someone we know.

' My world did in fact end as I felt you turn heavy in my arms.'

Soulmates don't have to be lovers, they may be friends or family members, a soulmate finds when you're at your lowest, takes your hand holds you close, and teaches you how to fly. And when loosing them, they take a piece of you with them.

Nemo isn’t just some cat. Nemo is my soul cat.

She was supposed to watch me graduate, be there when I get my college decisions, be my adventure buddy. But she never will.

' What about the plans we made?'

For someone who loves words as much as I do, it's strange how often they deceive me, intense grief is a strange thing. It comes and goes, usually at the most inconvenient of times turning our life upside down as we process the loss all over again.

Nemo, I would recognize you in different lifetimes in different bodies, in entirely different times, and I would love you through all of it until the very last star in the sky burns into oblivion. I miss you more than life.

Loosing you is by far the hardest thing I’ve ever experienced. Its like going up a dark stairwell to your bedroom, thinking there is just one more step, only to realize there really isn’t, and fall down to the bottom.

I'm not sure if seeing your toys gather dust was easier than pretending you’re not here to play with them again, or still waiting to hear the special meow that you only use to with me, hearing your special purrs that I adore, seeing Mia call out for you or leaving your fur on your side of the bed was easier than cleaning it, because in doing so means that I no longer have you to care for, which is a reality I'm not ready to accept yet.

' I promise to find you in every lifetime.'

I also want to tell you about math.
There are infinite numbers between one and a hundred. There are even more infinite numbers between one and a thousand, some infinities are just bigger than others.
I want you to know how eternally grateful I am for our little infinity, no matter how small it was. I'm so grateful for all the times I stayed home just to spend time with you, I hope you loved them days just as I loved them.
Maybe in another lifetime things would be different. I'll choose you in every lifetime I just hope that you choose me as well. Thank you for teaching me what love feels like. I’ll love you forever.

' I told the stars about you.'

You see, a hero doesn't always have to be a human being. It might be a fictional character or a quote or an inspiring piece of writing that could figuratively be your hero in my case it’s a tiny orange kitten with the purest soul and golden hair shaped like a crown at the top of her head that saved me when I didn't know I needed saving, a cat that saved me in every way that a person can be saved, a cat that saved me from myself.
A cat named Nemo.
And for that, she is my hero.

' I’ll see you in my dreams.
Love you in every lifetime.'


Here's to you Namooshti