A dog waiting by the door has made your arrival part of its day.

Being waited for is a particular kind of being loved. Somewhere in another creature’s day there is a slot with your name on it, and the hours before it are shaped by the expectation. You do not have to do anything to earn this, which is part of what makes it disarming, and it happens whether or not the day you had was any good. Someone or something has arranged their afternoon around a door.

Let that register when you come in rather than walking past it. And consider who is waiting for you elsewhere, in less obvious ways, and whether they have heard recently that the arrangement is mutual.