Sometimes I wish I were a dog. Dogs have it easy. Get up, poop, scratch that flea, and pester your owner to give you a treat. I’d like that. Imagine dreaming about milk bones, the mailman, and other silly things without having to worry about the repercussions of your behavior. I’d like that.
Sure, there are those moments when you have destroyed the sofa, peed on the rug, and eaten toilet paper, but the punishment is short-lived. It’s a small price to pay compared to dealing with other issues. You don’t have to wonder whether your insurance premiums will cover your health problems, or whether your children will be there to help you as you get older. Your owner takes care of all of that. And you don’t have to pay for any of it. I’d like that.
You don’t have to worry about interviewing for a job, or whether your coworkers are going to take credit for your projects, or whether you’re gonna be laid off before your 10th birthday. I’d like that. You don’t have to contemplate the state of the world, whether climate change is going to kill you, or whether your country is going to deteriorate into fascism. I’d like that.
You don’t have to worry about your partner going out on you and wanting a divorce, or paying $800 an hour to hire a lawyer to defend what is rightfully yours. I’d like that.
You don’t have to worry about whether you can afford to go to college or if you have to stay home and work in the fields so that your family can eat. I’d like that.
You don’t have to worry that you may have a genetic predisposition for some obscure illness. Your owner takes care of that when the time comes. I’d like that.
You don’t have to worry about whether you’re gonna end up in a rest home, hooked to machines, and given all sorts of medications that have a bounty of side effects. When the time comes, your owners know what to do.
Dogs have it so easy. They live in the moment. They only worry about protecting the ones that they love, and whether they’re going to be rewarded for doing so.
I think I’d like to be a dog. How about you?