My 93-year-old neighbor forgot, so. I let him.
We operate on pretty different schedules, he and I. So it's not often we bump into each other—hardly ever, actually. It's even more rare for us to do so without the dogs in-tow. Which is why something felt off today.
While he made his way toward me, I couldn't help but notice his energetic pace. It wasn't hurried, but it definitely wasn't frail, either. His pep always catches me a bit off-guard. For a man approaching triple digits, he's certainly "with it." Well, most of the time anyway.
After asking me how things were going, I turned the question back to him. "Oh and how's Betty doing?" I added. Betty's his dog, and yes she most definitely is named after Betty White. I watched his face shift as he considered the question. He glanced away. Then, he dipped his head slightly before telling me he'd re-homed Betty about a month ago.
"Honestly, I feel relieved" he said. "At my age, I couldn't really take care of her properly." So I told him that sounded like a difficult thing to go through. "It's better for both of us, I think" he said, his confidence rising. "I kept worrying what would happen to her if I fell and ended up in the hospital or something... Who'd take care of her?"
I thought back to a moment from a few months ago where he actually had fallen. And I'd just happened to be looking out my window when Betty pulled him toward the person walking by with their dog. Thankfully everyone had been ok, aside from a few minor gashes from the concrete. But standing across from me now, he didn't seem to remember it. Or that I'd been there. But I wondered if that moment was the tipping point that led him to re-home Betty.
"She likes her new family" he told me with a soft grin. "They have a daughter who loves her already..." he said. Then he faltered slightly, "but now there's no one to greet me when I get home."
Our Daily MAP Year Prompt
38/365
Think of something you'd be devastated to lose. Find a few minutes to sit with how grateful you are to have it.
onward.
-dmac