I said I would keep on living as long as I was useful
She asked “Do you consider being a lap for a cat useful?” and I said, “Of course.”
and as I mulled that over thinking of people and cats I’ve loved and love I thought
“Perhaps as long as I can still love a person or a cat
I can still be useful.”
and later I thought
“What can that love teach me about how to go about living from now until when I finally wear out?”
and the answer came back
“Feel that love as much as possible in everything you think communicate create and do.”