Day 793

Our Gus will not eat alone. He needs one of his human parents to sit with him before he will even think about what’s for dinner! He also needs to have certain rituals throughout his day for any successful transitions. For example, each morning, I “sing him out of his sleep” with a bad rendition of the song, “Car Wash." He shakes himself awake and proceeds to get a back rub as he goes through my legs. Now the others have caught on and it’s a train!

Being alone is not for everyone. There are times when solitude is necessary for your psyche, but I do not like being alone. Having four Goldens around leaves little chance for that!

There are people in my life who crave solitude. I respect that. There are also people I love who need to be surrounded by crowds. I honor both groups as best I can, because I tend to fall somewhere in the middle. When a loved one needs their “alone time," I understand.

Today, Lilly and I saw an entire building of folks who do not want or need solitude. The seniors crave other human contact. As we walked the halls between room visits, people reached out to pet Lilly and many extended their hand to hold mine. Perhaps, there is a time in our lives when, regardless if we used to be a solitary person, we need to connect to others. I would say that, as people age, they need to be surrounded more and more by others. Sadly, that is not the plight of most seniors.

Lilly and I would like to step up on our soapbox and ask people to send that card, make that phone call or drop by to visit a senior. We find that WE come away filled with joy and, sometimes, Lilly even gets a couple pieces of bacon from her favorite cook!