while loading bagel into the sequoia after his vet appointment, a black guy walking to his car asked if bagel was a little older. i told him he’s 7 and that he’s getting up there. he drops his papers, but as he is picking them up, he says he could tell by his whiskers. he mentions how his friend had a dog who got so old he couldn’t walk any more and he had to put him down. i responded by telling him dogs are just like us. he said it’s sad when dogs grow old and pass. after our conversation concluded, he wished me a good morning and as i did him. i loaded bagel into the sequoia and made our ritualistic post-vet trip to chick-fil-a. as i was driving, i was thinking of the conversation i had with the gentleman in the parking lot and how even though we were complete strangers, we were connected by how we felt towards dogs.
we’re more similar to each other than life would lead us to believe.
-ratha, 11:39am, 3.13.20