To preface, she was my first ever pet. I am in a living situation where I can't have a bigger pet so almost 2 years back I decided to get a hamster. Here she was. She was a wonderful little thing.

While I have dealt with death before, I was much younger and also believed in religion back then. I no longer have religion as a crutch to help me get through something like death. My mom, who is hindu, comforted herself by saying she hopes that my hamster will just be born again into a better life. I don't believe anything of the sort. All I know is that such a beautiful creature was just taken away suddenly. And now she rests forever in my backyard. I knew she was getting older but it still didn't prepare me for it. I had no warning that it would happen on the day that it did and the finality of it all really brings me down. There is nothing I can ever do to replace her. People say I can just get another pet, but I know that a living thing can never truly be replaced. There was only 1 of her and no matter what I do I can't replace her.

So I ask the rest of the atheists here, how do you deal with the finiteness of existence? How can I reconcile the fact that I never really got a chance to say goodbye? I was gone from the house and came back to find her dead. So how does everyone here deal with the suddenness and finality of death?