Culture

The Kindness and Caring of a Dog

Cats are mysterious, mercurial and manipulative beings, ever unpredictable and fascinating. Certainly they are loyal to the humans they happen to like and are sometimes known to behave altruistically toward people, especially children.

That last attribute, however, is more commonly in the repertoire of dogs and this video is a beautiful example. A Labrador with a Down syndrome toddler who isn’t sure he wants the dog’s attention at all. But the dog gently and patiently perseveres.

Henri the Cat – The Worst Noel

Millions of people save some vacation for this time of year and the week between Christmas and New Years has always felt to me like a vaguely pleasant waiting period, even when I was employed and at work. Now? I’m mostly frittering away the days this year.

TGB reader, Bev Carney, keeps me up on internet happenings and she forwarded this new video of Henri the depressed French cat in an episode made especially for the season.

Some Elder Humor

Not long ago ago, I told you about a book I recently purchased titled The Art of Aging with a lot of quotations from writers of many historical eras. It continues to engage me. Here is the editor, Wayne Booth, on the subject of age humor:

”Why is humor about aging so effective – when it works – and so exasperating – at least to the elderly – most of the time? No doubt because effective comedy preserves the losses while transcending them, while too many attempts at humor simply fall into denials…”

Old Age 4500 Years Ago

As I have mentioned in a couple of past posts, I am researching the history of old age and although I’m not ready to state so unequivocably (I have lots more work to do), the high point of respect for elders appears to have existed in the cultures of the Fertile Crescent long before even the Hellenistic period.

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A Young Woman’s Wisdom

Many of you know that nearly from the beginning, Time Goes By has shared a connection with awesome geriatrician Bill Thomas, author of my favorite book on aging, What Are Old People For?, and his new novel about elders, Tribes of Eden.

Equally awesome is Bill’s editor, Kavan Peterson, who runs their website Changing Aging and works closely with Bill on many other projects.