Penny, the puppy, is smarter than I am.

Penny was born on December 14th, 2013. Penny is six months and eleven days old. I am fifty-five years, eight months, and seven days old.

I hate to admit it. But it’s true. The puppy is really smarter than I am. Me, the adult person. Me the human with opposable thumbs is not as smart as a dog.

Penny wakes up at five in the morning. Every morning. And she goes to bed at the same time every night. She doesn’t stay up late reading random stories on Facebook, or watching videos on YouTube.

She is tired and she goes to sleep. 

Penny, the puppy, has a regular sleep schedule. Did she read the article on sleep disorders.about.com on the importance of waking up at the same time every day? Or maybe the puppy read Health Tip #8: Go to bed at the same time each night from Stepping Stone – Acupuncture and Wellness?

Every night I stay up later than the puppy. Some nights I go to bed at eleven. Some nights I go to bed at midnight. And some nights I fall asleep in a chair in the living room holding a book in my hands, and I crawl up the stairs to my bed at three in the morning when a cat wakes me up.

I stay up late even though I know the puppy will wake up at  five the next morning and want to go outside to poop.

And every morning when she wakes up at five I think, “Again?”

“Insanity: doing the same thing over and over again and expecting different results.” – Albert Einstein

So not only is the puppy smarten than I am. I am also insane. Every morning I hope the puppy will sleep until six or seven, and every morning she wakes up at five.

Today Penny woke up at five again. Last night I was in bed by ten. My first day of being  almost as smart as the puppy. She was asleep by nine. Tonight I will go to bed when the puppy does.

I will tell you tomorrow what time that was.

Do you go bed at the same time every night, and wake up at the same time every morning? Maybe we should all follow the example of Penny, the puppy with good sleep habits.

Please tell me in the comments. I would love to chat.

Penny and Pamela “Selfie” Bloopers