Happy Ostara!!

Happy first day of Spring, or Ostara, Vernal Equinox, or whatever you celebrate. Springtime means something different to everyone, but to most it's the signal of rebirth or new beginnings.
I finally got a new job as a receptionist at a veterinary clinic. This job is different in the sense that I don't do as much catwrangling as I did when I worked for Boss Man. I mostly just check people in and charge them out and don't get to spend much time with their pets.
The clinic I'm at is attached to a city animal shelter, and one of the functions of the clinic is to spay and neuter the pets that have been adopted. We have our share of the sadness that goes with it, but since the subject is new beginnings, I'll talk about my favorite part of the job.
I love checking out the new adoptees to their new humans. These animals have been either lost or dumped by their former owners, and stuck in a cage with others while an attempt is made to find their people. When they are put up for adoption, they get visits by a bunch of strangers in hopes that someone will find a place for them. Then they get shipped to us where they undergo surgery and a few hours later go home with someone who is a stranger to them.
So called experts say that we shouldn't assign human emotions to animals. But anyone who gets the honor of giving them to their new people know better. I know what they've been through before this day.  I sense their reluctance when I gently lift them out of the cage. As I carry them into the crowded room, they see their new human and ears perk up, tails wag, and cats purr. Somehow, they just know. And I'm drowning in a puddle of snot trying not to cry.
It's the coolest thing ever.