i moved to my own place for the first time at 23 and was incredibly lonely (anxiety, depression, etc.). i worked so much that a cat/dog was out of the question, so i ended up googling pets you can leave alone.
when i was 22, during my last year of college, i held my first snake - a normal female beep - and i fell in love. during my googling i remembered snakes, i found this forum, i learned, i bought Yellow and the rest is history.
in hindsight Yellow was an impulse purchase, but i'm so lucky i found pets and a hobby that i love so much. i try so hard to convince others how wonderful these pets can be. i got lucky on an impulse buy, but i'm so so thankful i found this hobby and the amazing community behind it.