Imagine a life of no responsibilities. A life filled with the freedom to spend as much time sleeping, eating, or relaxing as one desires. A life in which someone is always there to love you and take care of you. A life in which everything, everyday, is simple. That is what I always thought the life of a dog would be: a simple, carefree, with no problems and no responsibilities.

Every day, before I went to high school I would stare at my beloved dog, Emma, as she slept soundly on our couch, and desperately wish that I could be her. Of course, whenever I wished this, I was always exhausted, anxious, and had a long day ahead of me. In the face of all my life struggles, I craved a simple life, one where I could sleep, eat, and play and ignore the world around me. My dog never seemed to have a care in the world, just sleeping, hanging out, and occasionally barking when she was feeling fierce. During difficult days this life seemed superior to the stressful one I was experiencing.

Although this desire started out as a passing thought created from exhaustion and jealously; the more I thought about it, the more I realized how great my dog’s life was. Firstly, she never has to worry about food, it is always there provided to her. She also never has to worry about her appearance, what clothes to wear, whether she is overweight, or whether her hair looks funny that day. My dog also has the luxury of constant, unwavering love. A day does not go by when she isn’t showered by hugs from us, or given treats to show our affection. She is literally a ball of fuzz and warmth, who couldn’t love that. While the idea of wanting to be a dog sounds ridiculous, to me it solved all my problems.

Looking back at that time of my life, the time when a dog’s life sounded better than my own, I realized how much of the good I was ignoring. As a human there is so much I can feel, so much I can experience that as a dog I would have to sacrifice. I love talking to my friends, and barking just would not be the same. Chocolate is my guilty pleasure, and as a dog I wouldn’t be able to indulge in it. And despite the stress, the best part of life is living it, doing things, and finding adventure. Being a domesticated pet would stifle my abilities, my creativity, and my freedom. So as much as I used to envy my dog, and in during some tired, anxious moments still do, I have come to love my life as it is, both with the good and the bad.

So now, I wake up every morning, pass my dog on her place in the couch, and thank my lucky stars that I have a place to go and activities to do in order to fill my time. I have the ability to use my voice to express myself; I have more of a purpose in life than just sleeping, eating, and playing. Most importantly, I am lucky enough to have a family that loves me, even if I am too anxious to recognize it sometimes. Also, since it’s anatomically impossible for me to change, I have finally become happy, just the way I am.