How does Kona know it's Sunday

Hi everyone. Thanks for indulging a couple-of-weeks break as I enjoyed some great family time in Australia. The trip was fantastic and I hope to add some blog posts about it soon. I planned to put together a quick video highlight reel but my video editing software had other ideas. So instead, today's video is just my favorite picture from the trip and a few notes about the trip as a bonus. Now, on with today's newsletter...
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A few weeks ago, I noticed something. Kona can tell what day of the week it is. Or, more specifically, Kona knows when it is Sunday.
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Kona is a COVID puppy and so he and I have rarely been apart since he came to live with me five years ago. When I leave the house, he tends to lose his mind for a few minutes. Except, on Sundays.
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I had noted this in my article idea list a few weeks ago but decided to save it until this week to see if it still held true - even after we'd both been away from the house for a little while. And, it did!
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Kona and I have been enjoying lots and lots of snuggle time since we both returned home late last Wednesday evening (with huge thanks to Gayle for picking him up from our trainer). Sunday morning was the first time I've left the house without him since I got home on Wednesday evening. And, yet, he did exactly what he always does and went back to bed until a few minutes before I got back home from church.
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The biggest thing that makes Sundays different from any other time I leave the house is that Gayle is still here. But, even at other times when I leave in the evenings or if I leave on a weekend day when she's still here, he can still lose his mind a bit as I back out of the garage.
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So, what's the point of all this? It reminds me of how hidden our habits are - even to us sometimes. There is something that clearly makes Sundays different to Kona. And, my guess, it's in some of those hidden habits. Things that he can discern through that super smeller of his or one of a dog's other incredible talents that humans don't possess. For me, I'm wondering how I can give him that same feeling every time I leave the house. How do I convince him to just go curl up on the bed and have a snooze while I'm gone rather than letting the neighbors know that he's being abandoned by barking his fool head off for five minutes?
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What hidden habits or routines do you have that cause something unusual to happen? Let's chat. Post a reply here in Circle or hit the Let's Chat button to be taken to Circle. If you're reading this in email, you can also just hit reply on the email. I'd love to hear from you.

Some Other Things You Might Find Interesting

What I Published This Week

• Nothing! But I did do my quarterly review while I was flying and I may write about that this week.

What's Coming Up?

April 2026 Financial Date - Budget With Me & YNAB Office Hours

April 15, 2026 09:00 (Eastern Time (US & Canada))

Do you want to get a better handle on your finances? If so, join me for a free one hour workshop to talk all things money. This is a great time to hold your own financial date with yourself (which I talk about in the Facts of Life Book Course). Get financial questions answered, see software tools like YNAB in action, or just chat about money. This is a judgment free zone so come with your questions. 

My Favorite Photo From Our Trip

It's hard to pick a favorite, but this one has pretty easily risen to the top - and none of us took it. Susie purchased the "Koala Cuddle" experience at the Australia Zoo. We got to go behind the scenes to the Koala HQ (aka the Bachelor Pad), which is a relatively new area of the Australia Zoo. We weren't allowed to take photos of any of the behind the scenes areas but you can see the entire area in this YouTube video.
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Our experience occurred under the little covered awning you can see at 2:19 in the video. We also met a couple of the keepers featured in the video, including Ash who got "scented" at around 3:45.
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Unfortunately, I can't tell you specifically if our Koala - "Surf" - was featured in the video. I can tell you that he was absolutely adorable and it was a joy to get a couple of minutes up close with this little guy. The biggest joy for me though came from seeing my sister Susie get to fulfill a lifelong dream.