Tiff Sells ATL

Happy place ⛳️

Twenty years ago, while volunteering at an animal shelter in Mobile, AL, I met a curious and remarkably brave cat. Every time I was there, she somehow escaped the cat room and ventured into the dog yard, where I was supervising the pups and cleaning. The details and number of her escapes are hazy, but eventually, I gave in and took her home. Though I never considered myself a cat person (and still don’t), what are you gonna do when a homeless cat keeps playing Russian roulette in a dog yard?

In her younger years, Oswald loved to leap to the top of open doorways to tower over you, hitch rides on your shoulders and hug your neck, climb trees, and rule her kingdom. In her golden years, she enjoyed lying in the sun, making Charli uncomfortable with her disregard for personal space, lap cuddles, and sneaking off to the neighbors’ for junk food even though that’s literally what she ate her entire life 😂

We shared half of my life and almost all of hers together. She witnessed my biggest accomplishments and comforted me during my toughest heartbreaks. Though she was pretty ornery at first, she left this life with a kind demeanor and a full heart.

In her last days, she did all of her favorite things. We had a going-away party, and all of her friends came to say goodbye. I vacillate between ugly crying and softly recalling fond memories. In the end, she told me it was time, so walking her over the 🌈 bridge was the “easy” part. Living without her hurts more than I could have imagined. Turns out, twenty years is a long time but not long enough.

Lucky number 13! 🫶 I had no idea that the trajectory of my life was about to completely change that night. Now it’s the eve of our next big shift and I’m so excited to see what the next 13 years will bring. So proud of as she embarks on her next career adventure and so grateful our storylines merged all those years ago. 😘

Best team around!