I am constantly astounded by life. It humbles me, inspires me, and teaches me new lessons.
As many of you know, we recently lost our beloved bookstore cat Nietzsche at The Book Man. Jenna Hauck wrote a touching article, and CBC’s Gloria Macarenko hosted me on On the Coast to speak about his extraordinary life. Following that, I needed to take several days off of work, amazed at how hard losing this little furry beast had hit me.
READ MORE: Famous Chilliwack bookstore cat, Nietzsche, dies
Upon my return to the bookstore I found beautiful flowers, cards, handmade jewelry, emails and messages awaiting me, as well as some paw prints that the veterinarian was kind enough to have made. People came in to purchase memorial bookmarks and pins, and to pass along their condolences. It has been incredibly moving, very poignant and rather bittersweet to reminisce and collectively mourn with so many who had their individual lives touched by Nietzsche.
In this time of great uncertainty and stress, these reminders of what is truly important are profound. The reassuringly simple pleasure of a bookstore cat brought hundreds, if not thousands of people together.
This tiny, unassuming, furry little creature wove his way into so many of our stories. It’s been incredible to witness how far reaching his impact was, and how much he meant to so many. It’s a welcome reminder that all of us have the capacity to change lives, and our community, simply by being ourselves.
If you have space in your home and your heart, consider adopting a rescue. Four furry little footprints might just change your life forever. They sure did for us at The Book Man, and our community at large, when it came to our dear boy.
Our collective affection and fondness, and our ensuing collective grief when we all lost Nietzsche is something I will never forget. I want to thank everyone for their kindness, compassion and for sharing your memories of our special boy. He belonged to all of us, and we will all remember him, together.
Amber Price
Owner, The Book Man
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