We all get “set in our ways,” don’t we? It happens so gradually we barely notice it… until someone else can’t adapt, and suddenly we’re experts on flexibility!

Take this past Thanksgiving, for instance.

My hubby and I drove to our daughter’s house to celebrate with her and her husband. We booked a nearby hotel so we could spend extra time together. The only hiccup? We couldn’t get a pet sitter, so our golden retriever, ZZ, had to tag along. No worries—the hotel was pet-friendly. So we hyped up our trip as a grand adventure to go see “sissy.” He seemed as excited as we were!

After packing up the truck (a third of the stuff was ours; the other two-thirds belonged to the dog), we hit the road. The trip was uneventful—ZZ snored on top of all three of his doggy beds in the backseat. So far, so good.

Then we got to the hotel.
And that’s when things unraveled.

Me: Go potty here in the grass, ZZ.
ZZ: Absolutely not. The smells are all wrong. I definitely will not pee here.

Me: Here’s your bed for the night.
ZZ: You think so? I’ll be sleeping on your bed after I gallop across it and paw every pillow. I must protect the pack.

Me: Night-night, ZZ.
ZZ: Oh, Mom. I’ve been sleeping ALL DAY. Also, I must bark at every footstep, door slam, whisper, elevator ding, and car horn. This is who I am now.

And so he did—until well past midnight.

Turns out, ZZ is a serious homebody. A “this-is-my-couch-and-I-will-die-on-it” kind of dog. But honestly? I get it.

I’m a homebody too.

I love my own bathroom.
I need my familiar bed to sleep.
And I truly can’t drift off without the soothing hum of my fan.

So really, who am I to judge my poor, confused dog?
The acorn doesn’t fall far from the tree.
And clearly, my little acorn inherited my “home is best” roots.

Eventually, we made it back to our cozy home, where everything smelled right, sounded right, and felt familiar.

It reminded me how easy it is to judge someone else’s struggle—especially when they’re stressed or thrown into a new situation. But if we’re honest, most of us wouldn’t handle things much better.

Sometimes the trick is to look at someone’s reaction and ask ourselves,
“Okay… but haven’t I been there too?”

So the next time I’m tempted to judge someone for being a little “set in their ways,” I’ll remember my dog pacing a hotel room like a tiny golden general—and me beside him, wishing for my own bed. We all have our quirks… some of us just bark about them.

-Peni