To hold, to love and to let it go

I always thought reptile owners were eccentric people. Then, one sunny spring evening, a adolescent green iguana appeared outside my apartment causing every single neighbor to wow and comment, yet, none of them seemed to be excited to host the cold blooded animal until it’s owner showed up.

I have hosted chickens, cats, birds, dogs, fish and all kinds of rodents before so giving a roof and proper living conditions to the docile iguana hanging out on my railing didn’t seemed too complicated.

Little did I know that reptiles require a completely different kind of attention with special humidity and temperatures, that green iguanas are one of the United State’s most abandoned pets, or that I was soon to become one of those eccentric people.

By week three the Iguana was named Patience (not to be confused with “Precious”) and I decided to take down all of the ads Alex and I posted to find the original owner. The ad didn’t help us find the owner, but it did introduce us to a caring community of reptile lovers. We are still very thankful to all of the strangers that called to tell us all they knew about what we needed to do to keep her healthy and happy.

Patience grew on us and became part of our family. One year and a half went by and we became more and more enchanted by the green climber family member. But things changed, and  Alex and I needed to move temporarily and couldn’t take her with us. The process of finding her a good home was hard because we were pretty picky. Luckily we found her the perfect place, with a garden, another iguana, and an iguana expert and lover as her new family. It was really hard to let her go and I wish she was still with us. Sometimes, the right thing to do is to give the ones you love a better home even if that home is not with you.

I always thought that pet photography was something for cheesy people. Yet now, I’m sharing photos I took of Alex, Patience and I. I wanted some pretty pictures to remember our short time together. Yes, I am very happy I did them, I hold no guilt or embarrassment.

What is to be eccentric or cheesy after all? They are just definitions that keep us in a box.

May we always challenge and redefine our judgments.Maybe by doing so we’ll find new ways to see and to love.

Category: Blog, Photography, Randomness     Tagged: Exotic Pets Photographs, Green Iguana Pert Photography, Green Iguana Photos, Lucia Ferreira Litowtschenko, lulight photography

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