When I am Old

A very good friend forwarded this to me - have to share it - it is I.
When I am Old...
I shall wear Turquoise and soft gray sweatshirts...
and a bandana over my silver hair...
and I shall spend my Social Security Checks on
Sweet Wine and My Dogs...
and sit in my house on my well-worn chair
and listen to my dog's breathing.

I will sneak out in the middle of a warm Summer night
and take my dogs for a run, if my old bones will allow...
and when people come to call,
I will smile and nod as I show them my dogs...
and talk of them and about them...
The Ones so Beloved of the Past
and the Ones so Beloved of Today...

I still will work hard cleaning after them
and mopping and feeding them
and whispering their names in a soft, loving way…
I will wear the gleaming sweat on my throat, like a jewel
and I will be an embarrassment to all...
and my family...
who have not yet found the peace
in being free to have dogs as your Best Friends...

These friends  who always wait, at any hour, for your footfall...
and eagerly jump to their feet out of a sound sleep,
to greet you as if you are a God.
With warm eyes full of adoring love and hope that you will stay
and their big, strong necks...
and kiss their dear sweet heads...
and whisper to their very special company...

I look in the Mirror...
and see I am getting old...
this is the kind of woman I am...
and have always been.

Loving dogs is easy,
they are part of me,
accept me for who I am,
my dogs appreciate my presence in their lives...
when I am old this will be important to me...
you will understand when you are old...
and if you have dogs to love too.

~Author Unknown