Daisy

Daisy was a Holland Lop with ears like velvet and a personality three times her size. She loved tearing up cardboard boxes, binkying across the living room at top speed for no apparent reason, and accepting strawberries with the gracious authority of royalty receiving tribute. For five years and eight months, she was the first thing I checked on in the morning and the last thought before sleep. She had such a distinct personality — stubborn, curious, affectionate on her own terms. She would thump at me when I worked too late, flop dramatically when ignored, and hop into my lap the moment I cried. Small animals give you so much and ask for so little. Daisy gave me five years of joy, companionship, and a daily reminder to slow down and notice the world at ground level. She was tiny and she mattered enormously.