A Tribute to Wakka, Part Three

 

            The following is Part Three of a tribute to my bearded dragon, Wakka, who passed away December 4, 2021. This series will include favorite memories and stories of my life with my companion for five years.

            Last time, I talked about some of Wakka’s favorite words and activities. There is, however, another activity not mentioned last time that Wakka truly loved, and we’re going to talk about that now.

            I must say beardies are good listeners. Yes, he often didn’t know what I was talking about (beardies can’t learn a whole lot of words, what with their brains not being very big), but he listened. He was always a good sounding board, despite not knowing how to respond. I’ve been doing this blog for over a year now and talking to him has created A LOT of the posts on this site. Yes, he knew the word “cartoon” and what it meant, but he also loved hearing stories from Dada. My regular readers know I LOVE Marvel, and we read comics together. My bachelors’ degree is in English and Journalism (and being an unemployed journalist is the driving point of this blog) so reading and writing are my passions. Let’s face it, when we read, we all imagine in our heads what the characters are saying and how the characters are saying these words. Well, when I read out loud, which I did for Wakka, my passion ignites and I try to get the words out the way I imagined reading it. These stories were fun for both me and Wakka. I know he loved the sound of my voice because he always looked at me as I spoke (he always looked at me like I was the most wonderful thing there is, with his big Wakka smile, so no matter how bad my day was, I would go to my room, see that little guy, and that always made my day better). So when I read to him, the story was exciting and fun and I totally got into it, and he totally got into it. We could read together for hours. I think that’s why he liked cartoons, the stories and the voices, but I think also due to the colors (I’m on many bearded dragon groups on Facebook, and most beardies love cartoons, again due to the voices, the sound effects, and the colors. And yes, when we read comics I made the sound effects). Also, my associates’ degree is in elementary education, and for a while I wanted to be an English teacher, so I got to be Wakka’s English teacher. I also give my cat school (an excuse to read things I want to read but on average don’t have time to read). Great way to pass the time. (And a lot of my book reviews were read in class with my cat Rose so she gave me quite a lot of content for this blog). Also, there’s another post “I Wanted a Dog,” where I talk about my dog Casper, so all of my pets are responsible for this blog in several ways. I hate that I have to make these posts about Wakka posthumously, but he was a good companion. This past Saturday morning, December 4, 2021, I unfortunately found that Wakka had passed on. A term for the passing on of a beardie is that it “earned its wings.” My cat Rose has a bell on her collar, so several minutes afterward, I thought of “It’s A Wonderful Life” and the quote “Every time a bell rings, an angel gets its wings” and tapped on Rose’s collar bell, just so my little angel truly earned his wings. As I said about the beardie owner groups, I got a lot from them over the entire course of Wakka’s life. Now, I’m going to explain a little thing about beardies that you might not have thought about. There are different morphs of beardies. You shouldn’t be surprised, though. Look at dogs. Think of all the different breeds of dogs there are. Well, beardies are the same. They come in different patterns and colors. Wakka actually had a morph not mentioned in The Bearded Dragon Manual I bought when I adopted him. As I said in prior installments, it really didn’t help all that much, and the beardie Facebook groups got me through these five years with Wakka where the Manual didn’t suffice. We beardie owners are VERY proud of our beardies. We constantly share pictures and ask for help from each other when we are in difficult situations and offer support when our beardies earn their wings. Wakka was a dark gray color with no back pattern, and a pure white beard and belly. Being a Marvel fan, I’ve thought of Wakka as a mutant. He was one-of-a-kind and very unique. And he was one of the most loving souls I’ve ever encountered, knowing nothing but love, and knowing nothing but to give love. One beardie group admin actually made a cartoon out of Wakka several years ago, and it was beautiful. But again, proud beardie owners. This past year, on Wakka’s September 1 hatchday, he got more birthday wishes on Facebook than I did… and I don’t even personally know any of these people! And upon posting of Wakka’s passing, I’ve gotten nothing but great support, great words of comfort and even poems, and yes, The Rainbow Bridge. Now, I’m Catholic, and immediately I thought of selfish things about Wakka’s passing. People always say “They’ve gone to a better place,” and “they’re not suffering anymore.” My thoughts against that were “He was in a great place with me” and “he never suffered his whole life.” How am I supposed to believe and accept these? Many people have heard of the Kübler-Ross Model of the Five Stages of Grief. Now, prior readers may be aware of the fact that I have bipolar disorder. But the model isn’t working right for me. I’ve been hopping all around the Stages in different order every few seconds. Why is my beardie dead? It’s not fair my beardie is dead? How am I supposed to live without my beardie? Wakka was a constant fixture in my life for five years. I always visited him to talk to him, to tell him “It’s not called ‘reptile dysfunction,’” “There is no Statue of Lizardy,” “These are noodles, not worms,” all our little jokes over the past five years. And now he’s gone. I’m alone in my room, the tank is empty, there’s no one to look at, to talk to, the house feels empty. There’s a hole in my heart, there’s a part of me missing, I’m alone. Why him? Why now? My dog Casper died December 3, 2013, Wakka died December 4, 2021. Why do the days have to be so similar? Why do I one day mourn my dog, the next I have to mourn my lizard? It’s not fair! But we have to remember that pets are just borrowed, God gives them to you for a limited amount of time, you just have to make the best time of it you possibly can. A beardie’s average lifespan is five-to-ten years. Wakka made it to five. I just have to appreciate we had five happy years together, cherish them, remember them fondly, and hold Wakka in my heart for the rest of my life until I join God in Heaven and am reunited with my little guy. But my life feels so empty without a beardie. And I have to think Wakka wants me to be happy and welcome a new beardie into my home and give it a happy life as I gave Wakka a happy life. I have a Bearded Dragon Dad mug, and will make it mean something again. To Wakka, I’ll miss and love you forever, and while in death we are apart, your Dada loves you with all his heart.

            Now as I finish this, I prepare to place Wakka to his final resting place. This series has been powerful and emotional to me, and I hope it means something to you, as well. And if you are looking for a pet, totally consider a bearded dragon! They are great, loving companions, relatively easy to raise, and lots of fun to share time with! Be on the lookout for my more content from this blog, I post fairly regularly and hopefully I have other pieces to tickle your fancy. And I say to you, until next time, Tim Cubbin… out!