RIP Paprika

I wanted to make this post, even though this happened back in November. I wasn't here to blog about it then and I want to get my feelings out about it now. I do believe it was around the eighth that I found her, I noticed she hadn't moved from where she was in several hours and pulled her out to find her limp in my hands. I was getting ready for work at the time and me bawling my eyes out ten minutes before I had to leave wasn't really a great thing. I ended up crying a couple times at work that day, they even contemplated letting me go home. I don't know whether she had gotten stuck where she was or if it had just been her time. But I want to take this time in remembrance of her.

I had gotten/ caught Paprika on vacation in Michigan with a friend's family and I swear she had been someone's released pet before hand because she adapted a little too fast to otherwise being a wild turtle. This happened the summer before my junior year, so if I am doing the math correctly I do believe I had her in my life for about five years.

Her name came from the movie Paprika, which was basically the anime version of Inception (but it came out long beforehand). It's a really good movie, and there was a very warm color scheme throughout it. Between that and the spitfire girl that shared her name Paprika just seemed fitting.

I don't understand when people say oh it was just a turtle. That's like saying your dog died but it was just a dog. There was just as much personality in that tiny reptile as there is in our 80lbs boxer/lab mix. She was spunky, and she'd look at me as she sat on her dock to here me talk, and you'd be surprised at how good it was to have her during certain moments of my life just to get something off my chest. If I was near her tank she'd make sure she was on that side of her tank, if I took her out, no matter where she'd go all I'd have to do is shake her food container and she came running. (and let me tell you turtles can run, unlike their tortoise counterparts)

She was sweet, and never bit or hissed (which they can do) and I definitely lost a friend the day she died. I didn't think that the moment where she wasn't going to be there wouldn't come for a very long time. I hope she's doing well where's she's at now eating all the fish and peeled grapes she can eat, with endless amounts of space to swim. I will miss her always.