Day 55

7/6/22

Today was our day to visit friends at the retirement community down the road. Lilly was so excited that she was the chosen one on this adventure. Tail wagging, tongue hanging out in anticipation, and combed to the max, she was ready for anything!

Lilly is our empath of the group. It is so interesting to see her use those gifts on the people she meets. Interacting with all, she zeros in on certain ones who probably need a bit more love than the rest. When she chooses a person to focus on, I tend to stand back and gently ask a few questions. Something like, "How is your day going?" or "This sunny day has a great effect on so many! How about you?" Without prying, people tend to share their hearts easily and with relief. Almost always, they share their angst by giving their full attention to Lilly and maintaining eye contact with her while sharing their story.

We enjoyed a number of visits and learned of a gentleman who needs a new wheelchair, another who is a voracious reader and yet another who attended an all school reunion where she proudly received an award for being the oldest in attendance. Such a variety of stories shared with us today and each one allows us to understand the storyteller that much better!

One lady had moved to her apartment last winter. She warned me that she had memory issues and I countered with, "Don't we all?" Her side of the conversation went something like this:

"I moved here last January...or was it March? I'm not sure!"
"I lived in the country on a farm. My dad lost his job at a store...not sure which one...so we moved out near family. He didn't know what to farm so, after a few years, decided to plant trees for a Christmas tree lot!"
"We had dogs too. Little ones. I am not sure what kind, but they could sit in your lap."
"I have a son who moved to California. He is living in that rich town..."

To the last comment, I asked, "Was it Burbank or something around Los Angeles?" She didn't think so. I jumped in to fight off the frustration building on her face by saying that my own son had moved to California recently. That seemed to quiet the situation!

I told her he was an actor and was on a set at ABC Studios today. I also mentioned that he can never share anything about the stars, title of the show or exact location of the shoot.

"I don't know why he can't share that with me!" I said. "Who am I going to tell? Maybe you!"

She looked me right in the eye and said, "You could tell me! It would be safe with me! I wouldn't remember to tell anyone anyway!"

We both had a good laugh about that!

Hopefully the world will be full of smiles and laughter today. Humor is good for the soul! Maybe we just need more Therapy Dogs to spread the love and smiles!