On September 15 it was my dog’s birthday. I thought about how he spent his birthday. Then I thought about how he spends his every day. I realize everyday is the same. At 7:00 am he gets woken up by me. I feed him the same kibble and replace his water. At 8:00 am he watches us leave, not knowing what we’re up to. At 1:00 pm my parents come home for work. During the time no one was home, he probably took naps, dug up an old bone, or watched between the crack of the fence, waiting. At 4:00 pm I come home with my sisters. He smells us eating dinner at 5:30 pm knowing that as soon as we’re done, he gets to chow down on the same kibble at the same time, 6:00 pm. At 6:30 pm he gets his daily walks. We walked around the neighborhood. He knows the path since we go on the same one everyday. We get home at 7:00 pm. I tucked him in bed at 10:00 pm.

Then I thought about my day. My alarm goes off at 6:30 am. Then after I’m done in the bathroom, I wake my dog up at 7:00 am. I finish getting ready at 7:50 am and go downstairs to the kitchen, pulling out a nature valley granola bar for my breakfast. I get in the car at 8:00 am and arrive at school around 8:15 am. First period starts at 8:30 am and sixth period ends at 3:08 pm. I saw one of my parent’s cars at the church at around 3:30 pm. During the time I was at school, I studied biology, English, Spanish, geometry, and world history. I also ate lunch and exercised during PE. I get home at around 4:00 pm. I eat a small snack and try to start homework (I usually just take a nap). At 5:30 my mom calls out to the family for dinner. We all withdraw from what we were occupied with and gather for dinner. At 5:40 my dog starts whining, reminding me of what I immediately need to do after I finish eating. At 6:00 I fed him. After I grab the leash and walk him with my sisters at 6:30 pm. I get home and shower at 8:00. I start doing homework right after I shower, knowing I probably should’ve started sooner. At 10:00 my reminder goes off to get my dog ready for bed. I tuck him in and finish my homework at around 11:00 pm. Then I go to sleep.

Comparing out daily days made me realize we are no different. Our schedules integrate more than I thought and that makes me feel more close to him. At the end of the day, we are both happy to see each other survive through our day.