I don’t know about you, but the past few months have been very good to me. I celebrated my birthday, I’ve been making more progress in my journey to lose weight, and I’ve felt more connected to God compared to the beginning of the year. While I could talk about what all of those have looked like or did look like, I’ve decided to focus on a smaller interest I’ve found that has been good for me.

For my birthday, I got my first pet. His name is Zeke, which is short for Ezekiel, and he’s a betta fish. If you’re not familiar with bettas, they are native to Southeast Asia, and are recognized as Thailand’s national aquatic animal. They’re quite popular among aquarium owners and breeders, as evidenced by the many rows and shelves they inhabit at pet stores and aquarium centers. And I gotta say, for a first pet, Zeke has been excellent to have around.

A little bit of history: when I was younger, I was obsessed with dogs. I still am in a way, but not nearly as much as before. My family and I talked for years about getting a puppy, but nothing ever came of it. There were many reasons for that, mostly due to the cost and indecisiveness over which breed we wanted to get. My parents wanted a smaller dog like a Shih Tzu, while I wanted something like a Labrador or German Shepherd. My dad had thrown around the idea of getting a fish a few times, and even though I liked the idea, I still preferred to have a dog.

Fast forward to the present, and while dogs are still my specialty, I’ve grown to really enjoy having a fish. When it comes to Zeke in particular, I underestimated how active he would be in comparison to a goldfish or guppy. Bettas are stronger than they appear, and show signs of thriving in their environment by dashing around the water and making bubble nests. They are also quite expressive and intelligent, especially when they are trying to impress each other by flaring their multi-colored gills to attract attention. Zeke used to do that whenever he saw his reflection in the mirror, but has since moved on to fiercely guarding his bubble nests and relaxing on his favorite leaf (as shown above). I sometimes wish life was as simple as it is for him.

The whole process of keeping a fish has also really opened my eyes to how pleasing it is to not only build an aquarium, but to simply look at one as well. I’ve always appreciated them from a distance as a nice decoration or respectable hobby, but after having a fish of my own, I now get why people are so passionate about them. Zeke’s tank is on the smaller side (I’m looking into getting a bigger one eventually), but that doesn’t stop it from looking quite cool at night when the lights are all off. A big rock to swim through, a large mountain of coral, and a brand new Java fern are all he’s needed to remain happy and lively. Which is good, because those things aren’t cheap.

As I finish this, I’ve now had Zeke for a little over 3 months, and I intend to keep him as happy and healthy for as long as I can. He’s been a ton of fun to have, and the entire experience has been rewarding. I will add that in the event that he unfortunately passes one day, I definitely wouldn’t mind looking into keeping new bettas for a while to come. They’re very entertaining and beautiful creatures, and a great reminder of not only God’s creation, but his unlimited creativity as well.