I got my mom a talking parrot.

Not a real one, but a colorful fake one sitting on a perch.

He flaps his wings and repeats what you say.

Pete, the repeating parrot.

I got the idea from a dementia web site. They had a video of a woman with dementia talking to the parrot out in her garden. She sat right in front of the parrot  and was having a conversation with it. She was so happily engaged. I was impressed and interested.

Could this be a possibility for my mom?

My mom who doesn’t like to talk to anyone.

My mom who likes to glare and criticize.

A conversation to her is telling people, in her opinion, what they need to change or fix.

I had no idea how my mom would respond.

But, what if she did respond like the woman in the video? That would be pretty amazing.

So I plunked the $13.00 down and came home with Pete the repeating parrot.

I have to tell you, the smile on her face when he first talked was worth the price alone.

Even her, the armored woman, melted in the presence of this fake multi colored new friend.

A friend who doesn’t talk back defensively, get mad at her barbs and jabs and take what she says personally.

A friend who won’t converse about things she doesn’t understand such as politics or the economy; then she doesn’t have to go sit alone because she’s afraid others will find out that she really can’t carry on a conversation.

A friend who has no way of dying and leaving her alone, yet again (well except of course the batteries could die; but then viola…back to life.)

And lastly, a friend, who like her, says the same thing over and over endlessly.

Finally someone who can relate to her with no judgement and impatience.

Maybe Pete will even teach her some manners,

because so far all I have heard out of her mouth is “pretty pete, you are such a pretty bird,”

and lots of laughs.

She laughs, he laughs, she laughs more, he laughs more.

It’s a laughing fest.

How long will it last?

Who knows and who cares.

Right now, in this moment on this day, which is all that there ever is,

there is a friendship blooming and laughs erupting.

Joy has hit assisted living, and this joy has the colors of the rainbow on it’s big beautiful wings.

You never know what’s going to fly into your life, soothe your soul and make you laugh out loud.

How fantastically

great is that!