It was a difficult day. Our hamster Thomasina passed away. She was old (for a hamster) and had recently received a diagnosis that made her passing not unexpected. But it was still hard. I was with her until the end, stroking her and talking to her . . .

But there is still good to be found. Tommy is no longer in pain; she is at peace. We do not have to watch her suffer any more, and the suffering was itself brief and alleviated by pain medications. She didn't die alone.

After all that, I was still able to go out to dinner and see Jimmy Buffett play and enjoy myself (with random bouts of crying thrown in, but that might've been because Jimmy played some Tom Petty and Glenn Frey and I was reminded of mortality all over again). Jimmy doesn't look his age, and he still puts on a great show.

So that was the day: sorrow and joy. Quite the contrast. But that's life in a nutshell, too.