My roommate Ezekiel and I have been together since I adopted him at birth twenty-years ago. I’m age eighty and the last eight years I’ve been a single parent. Ezekiel and I have been supportive of each other especially during the COVID pandemic. When I arrive home from the library or shopping, there is Ezekiel’s nose pressed against the window pane watching birds at the feeder, kids playing and dogs chasing balls in a field across the street. We enjoy sharing what we have done and felt during the day.

Oh, my apologies – Ezekiel is a stuffed bear who thinks he’s human. Emotionally and physically Ezekiel is human. We talk with each other when feeling fearful or lonely. Children from one to one-hundred need to have a stuffed animal, toy or soft blanket that brings them comfort during this health crisis. This is especially true for people my age. Psychologists call such an animal, toy or blanket “transitional objects” that help comfort a child during the day and help them to sleep at night. Any parent knows what I’m talking about!

There remains a child within us all who needs comforting during this crisis. Ezekiel and I do that for each other. Perhaps I’m a bear who thinks he’s human.