Apparently, I Love Torturing Myself.

My Favorite Season of the Year Has Begun: Halloween and Day of the Dead!

There's something magical about this time of year. A little mischief, a little mystery, and, apparently, a whole lot of crying over other people's pets.

It's my favorite time of the year!

Halloween is here, Day of the Dead has begun, and I'm surrounded by sugar skulls, marigolds, candles, and enough decorations to make you wonder whether I've completely lost my mind.

And to be perfectly honest, as much as I love Halloween, I'm much more of a Day of the Dead kind of guy.

There's something about this beautiful Mexican tradition that speaks to me on a very deep level.

For the uninitiated, Día de Muertos (Day of the Dead) is a time when, according to tradition, the veil separating the living from the dead grows especially thin. For a few precious days, our departed loved ones are invited to return, visit their families, and enjoy the things they loved when they were alive.

It's not supposed to be frightening. Quite the opposite.

It's a celebration of love, remembrance, and the idea that death doesn't necessarily mean the end of our relationships.

And I find that incredibly comforting.

Did You Know Day of the Dead Lasts More Than One Day?

Most people associate Day of the Dead with November 1 and 2, but in many Mexican traditions, the welcoming of souls begins much earlier.

Different days are dedicated to different groups of departed souls. Customs vary from one community to another, but here's one popular version of the calendar:

• October 27 — Our Pets and Animals. Our beloved dogs, cats, and other animal companions return to visit the families who loved them.
• October 28 — Those Who Died Tragically. This day remembers people who died in accidents, violence, or other sudden and tragic circumstances.
• October 29 — Those Who Drowned. A day dedicated to the souls of people who lost their lives in water.
• October 30 — The Forgotten Souls. This one always gets me. It's a day to remember those who have no living family, or nobody left to remember them.
• October 31 — Unborn Babies and Unbaptized Children. In certain traditions, this day is dedicated to little souls who never had the opportunity to experience life or who died before baptism.
• November 1 — Children and Babies. Known as Día de los Angelitos, the Day of the Little Angels, when children who died young are welcomed home.
• November 2 — Our Departed Adults. This is what most people think of as Day of the Dead, when families welcome their parents, grandparents, siblings, partners, friends, and other loved ones.
• November 3 — The Farewell. In many traditions, the souls have returned to their resting places, and families begin taking down their ofrendas, or memorial altars.

Isn't that beautiful? Nobody is forgotten. Even those who have nobody left to remember them are given a day of their own.

Apparently, I Love Torturing Myself

So, knowing that October 27 is the day we welcome back our beloved pets, I decided to do something special for our GoNaked family.

I created a virtual ofrenda, an online memorial altar where you can upload photographs of the pets you've loved and lost.

I released it Monday evening, October 26, and invited everyone to share photographs of their dearly departed companions.

If you haven't visited yet, you can find it here:

Visit Our Pet Memorial Altar — OurPets2026.com

The altar will remain available throughout the Day of the Dead season, so you have plenty of time to add your own beloved companion or simply spend a few minutes remembering the animals who meant so much to others.

(If you click on one of the dear pets, you can "light a candle" for them.)

Now, here's why I say I obviously love torturing myself.

I sat there looking at your pets, and every time another photograph appeared, I cried.

Every. Damn. Time.

There were those beautiful faces looking back at me. Happy dogs. Sweet cats. Even a miniature goat. Little creatures who probably had no idea how profoundly they had changed someone's life.

I didn't know most of these animals. I had never scratched their ears, tossed their favorite toy, or welcomed them into my lap.

But I could feel the love.

I could feel how much you loved them, and I could imagine how much they loved you in return.

And it absolutely broke my heart.

Sometimes, Losing a Pet Hurts More Than Losing a Person

There. I said it.

In many respects, I've found it harder to say goodbye to a beloved animal than to some of the humans I've known.

And I suspect I'm not alone.

There's something extraordinary about the relationship between a person and a pet.

They don't care how much money is in your bank account. They don't care how thick your waistline has become, how many wrinkles you've collected, or whether you're having a particularly lousy hair day.

They don't care about your career, your social status, or whether you've managed to live up to everybody else's expectations.

They're just happy you're home.

They want to sit beside you, share your company, make you laugh, and occasionally convince you that they haven't been fed in at least three weeks when you know perfectly well they ate twenty minutes ago.

And when you're having a terrible day, they somehow know.

They come a little closer. They rest their head on your knee. They curl up beside you.

They don't need to fix anything.

They just need to be there.

Wouldn't it be wonderful if we humans could learn to love one another with even half that generosity?

Without judgment. Without conditions. Without keeping score.

Just love.

So, Let's Welcome Them Home

One of the things I love most about Día de Muertos is that it doesn't ask us to forget our grief or pretend that losing someone we love doesn't hurt.

Instead, it invites us to celebrate the fact that they were here in the first place.

To remember the laughter. The ridiculous moments. The companionship. The love.

And yes, sometimes that means shedding a few tears.

So, if you've ever loved a dog, a cat, a bird, or any other little creature who made your world a better place, I hope you'll visit our virtual altar and add their photograph.

And if you don't have a pet to remember, I hope you'll stop by anyway. Look at those beautiful faces. Somewhere behind every photograph is someone who loved that animal enough to want the world to remember them.

I'll probably be sitting here crying over every new addition.

But that's okay.

Because the price of loving something deeply is that, eventually, we're going to miss it deeply.

And if you ask me, that's a price worth paying.

Happy Día de Muertos, guys.

May every beloved soul, whether they walked on two legs, four legs, or flew on a pair of wings, find its way home to the hearts that still remember.

And may we never forget how lucky we were to have loved them.

Big hugs,

Nick