The Pets of the Old

We are much alone when old, after lifetimes of accompaniment, of tacit support and connection from our friends and peers. Must I now label as mental failing sometime strange behaviors I exhibit? These are a consequence of long living, result in my speaking to the air, to myself and to my beloved pets. No one else is around. This becomes habitual. I explain that it is only to retain my sanity, ability to speak, to think, to hone skills of artful conversation, of facile verbal composition. Although silence may be soothing or oppressive, calming or profoundly disturbing, pets are a great comfort -- though they sometimes underscore and magnify lack of human interaction. Loneliness is a sad consequence of aging, intensifying losses, magnifying declining mental agility, dulling consciousness of changes in behavior. To fill empty hours, to calm fears, feel at peace, welcome the company and affection of pets. Treat them as deserving beloved ones. We must protect, support, preserve them. They are as central to our lives as we are to theirs.