Dear Eric: A month after my dear dog died, I felt that I urgently needed another dog. One day after I adopted my new dog, I was on a website for cities and neighborhoods to post events. The first post I saw was “Looking for a puppy for my puppy to play with”. Long story short, the woman had the same breed of dog that was a month older than mine and lived within walking distance of my house. The four of us have been best friends ever since. I’m sure my dog ​​and my friend have been sent to heaven.

– The delight of dogs

Dear Delight: Pets can provide wonderful company as well as connect us with others.

Dear Eric: In the 1970s, my husband and I moved into an independent apartment in a 400-person continuing care retirement community with lecture series, music programs (mainly classical), and a multitude of of activities, from climate promotion to painting to exercise classes. at poker.

– Aging well

Dear Aging Well: Many have written about the many benefits of their retirement community, as well as organizations like the Village Movement for Older Adults Living Alone.

Dear Eric: There are senior centers in almost every city, and here in Colorado, members are cataloged full of opportunities. I started line dancing and met so many new friends! Our seniors sign up for hikes, trips to so many local venues and events and plays and restaurants that it would take me 40 pages to list them all. Get out of the house and out of your comfort zone.

– Always active

Dear Always Active: Dancing came up in a lot of answers, especially square dancing and line dancing. People love the opportunity to meet people and the mental acuity benefits.

Dear Eric: I decided to try an online dating site for seniors. Coincidentally, my now husband was on the same dating site, albeit more than 900 miles away in a different state. Despite the physical distance, we each felt a connection that grew stronger with regular emails. In fact, we bought our current house together before we even met in person, just six weeks after our first email. We “saw” each other as we Skyped every night and exchanged regular emails. Finally, after three months, he packed up his van and we moved in together. That was three years ago. I’m 85 now and he’s 84. Yesterday we bought a new car together, which may be our last car, but that’s okay because the future is now, not someday.

– Overcoming the distance

Dear Crossing: What a wonderful feeling. Finding a connection through online sites – many people have also talked about Match.com – has proven to be the key for many people.

Dear Eric: Last winter, I enrolled in a film development class in high school. Everyone in the class could have been my nephew, depending on their age. It was fun being around the young people. One in particular, a high school senior, was introduced to me early on and we bonded through photography and writing. He moved his chair next to mine. Nine months later and the class is long gone, we’re still friends.

– Development of friendship

Dear Friendship: I love this – lifelong learning and cross-generational friendship.

Send questions to R. Eric Thomas at [email protected] or PO Box 22474, Philadelphia, PA 19110. Follow it up Instagram and sign up for his weekly newsletter at rericthomas.com.