Pet Therapy

My husband needed a CAT scan a few days ago, I suggested it would be less expensive if we just had our own cat do it. She is about two years old, and adorable. She is a constant source of joy and entertainment. She is our only child still living at home, and my husband and I sometimes wonder what we used to talk about before we got her.
Pets are very therapeutic. Anyone who has one knows this, and studies have confirmed it. Many hospitals and nursing homes have pet therapy, where an animal, most often a dog, is brought in and taken room to room to visit with the patients/residents. Blood pressure decreases when petting an animal, and people often socialize more when an animal is involved. Even Sigmund Freud used to sometimes have his dog present for psychotherapy sessions. He found that children and adolescents would relax and confide more with his dog in the room.
Having chronic pain or illness can cause feelings of isolation if the person is not able to get out and be involved with community/family activities. Having a pet can decrease these feelings, because of the companionship they provide. Having an animal in the house forces a person to get up out of bed in order to care for it, increasing activity. This is especially true of a dog, who needs to be walked several times each day. A cat needs less, just food, water and a clean litter box, but they can be great companions. My cat likes to lie on the leg area of my recliner where I like to sit, either between my knees, or against my leg. Even if we are not interacting, we each know the other is there. Even a fish, though not very cuddly, provides another living being in the home, and someone to care for. Having someone to care for, someone who is counting on you and trusting you is important. It gives a person purpose, a reason to start the day.
The best part, in my opinion, is the love. Animals are less judgmental than people. They love unconditionally, Studies have shown that people who have pets live longer than those who don't. If you don't have a pet, think about getting one. If you live someplace that does not allow pets, they may allow small animals, such as fish or hamsters. Another option is to adopt someone else's. Maybe you have a friend or relative with a pet you can become 'aunt' or 'uncle' to.
Having a pet changes life for the better. Interact with your pet. Talk, play, enjoy
 

Love 'em While You Got 'em

My aunt died this past week, and the funeral is today.  She, my uncle and another aunt, along with my sister and her family and my brother all live(d) in the eastern suburbs of Cleveland, OH, about 45 minutes north of me. 
My mom used to live there, too, before she died 3 years ago.  For the last 3 years of my mother's life, I drove up there weekly.  Initially, we would go out to lunch and go shopping, or do errands, whatever my mom needed or wanted that week.  She was using a cane when this started, then went to a walker, then a wheelchair, but we still continued to go out.  When it got so that she could no longer get in and out of my minivan with my help, I would just hang out with her for the afternoon, going to whatever the program was that day at her nursing home, or sit outside and talk, or go to the little ice cream parlor they had there.  We had ice cream together less than a week before she died.  I cherish these times we had together.
My mom had two brothers.  The aunt who just died was married to the only one of those three siblings who is left.  My other aunt I mentioned above was married to my mom's other brother.  My sister and brother are more involved in our extended family than I am.  They call the aunts/uncles more than I do.  They get together with the cousins sometimes, both the ones who live in town, and the ones who come to town to visit.  I generally just get together with them if one of my siblings calls me and says they are getting together with so and so, do I want to join them?  
I have lots of excuses, not very many reasons.  Distance is one excuse.  Though it is definitely farther for me, I could do it if I really wanted to.  Time is another excuse.  I have too many things I am involved in.  Everyone is busy.  What makes me a special case?  Fatigue is yet another excuse.  I used to go up there to see my mom every week, even during a period of time when my fatigue level was much worse than it has been lately.  Phone calls are quicker than driving up for a visit.  For some reason, I have aways disliked making phone calls, though once we are talking, I generally enjoy it.. 
There are not very many of our parents' generation left, and all are in their 80's.  Our generation ranges from the mid 40's to early 60's, including the cousins.  When our mom died, my sister and I talked about the fear that the family would lose its cohesiveness.  We have tried not to let that happen, but I must confess that my siblings all make more effort than I do (there is a fourth sibling, a brother in Texas [Hi Eric, Ruth and Clara]).  
The title of this post, 'Love 'em While You Got 'em', is a reminder to me and to my readers that we can't turn back time.  Life is not forever. We all make our own choices of how we spend our time, energy and other resources.  We set our own priorities.  I could choose to make contact with my family a higher priority.  I can say that I will do that, and I really would like it to be true, in theory.  In actuality, I know myself well enough to know that I likely will not change much.  

I just returned today from the Sjogren's Syndrome Foundation national patient conference.  I will write about it in another post.  Yesterday, while walking around the Reston Town Center, a shopping/restaurant area near our hotel, we witnessed a magical moment.  In the plaza behind the hotel there were a bunch of rose petals strewn on the ground in a vaguely heart-shaped pattern, quickly getting dispersed by the wind.  My friend Mary said "We must have just missed it," thinking it had been part of the wedding we had seen getting set up in the hotel.  A man nearby said "You didn't miss it.  It is about to start. Sit down,"  he indicated a park bench nearby.
We sat, and within moments a young couple approached, and he lead her into the center of the rose petals.  He handed her a white rose that had been lying on the ground, and she added it to the bunch already in her hand. They then talked, whispered, giggled and hugged, eyes shining.  He got down on one knee, and put a ring on her finger.  They kissed, and the bystanders (and sitters) cheered and clapped.  Apparently, her answer was yes.  We congratulated the couple, and went on our way to find dinner.  (I realized later that the man who told us to sit had been recording, we had interrupted it, and are now a permanent part of this couple's history.)
There are magical moments all around us, some momentous, such as this one, some minute, such as a bud popping open, or an ant dragging 4 times its weight.  Observing these moments can bring joy and wonder, at the nature of love and the love of nature.  They can jolt you out of your doldrums, and remind you of the goodness of life.  Be open to experiencing and observing the world as you find it.  It is more fascinating than any reality or fantasy TV show or movie could ever be.