Some of my best days are spent home, alone with my cat. Perhaps it’s just my opinion, but cats are often better companions than people. I find relationships with people to be too complex and tiring to deal with some days. Like today.

It is another day home alone with my cat, and I am content. As long as I feed him and give him attention every now and then, he doesn’t complain too much. And days like today which are as lazy as they are rainy, he will curl up near me and fall asleep, especially when I am napping also.

I do not know why I find his presence so comforting. Perhaps it is because our relationship is uncomplicated. There are no hidden meanings, or question of motives, or lack of affection. Being at home with my cat is simple.

But perhaps there is more, perhaps my cat offers me a better relationship than many of the romantic relationships I’ve been involved in. None of those were simple; they have always been messy affairs.

Do I make things complicated? Am I the one at fault? Why are relationships complicated in the first place?

In theory, relationships are simple. Two people have feelings for each other, they get together and live happily ever after.

 

If only it were that easy.

 

Sometimes you never even know if the person likes you back, or likes you likes you. The face that it needs to be said that way for clarification is immensely frustrating.

And then, we take it so personally when someone doesn’t feel the same about us, even if it has nothing to do with us. Then we get hurt, and we do it all over again with someone else.

Things get even messier when two people do have feelings for each other. There are so many environmental factors that could cause a relationship to not work and so few factors that contribute to a healthy, working relationship.

Are you compatible with this person? Do your friends get along with their friends? Do your parental figures like them (and vice versa)? Do you live in the same state, country, or continent? Are you mostly at the same point in your education, career, living situation, and personal situation? Are you both single? Would being together hurt someone you care about? Any one of these factors could break a relationship. There are some things that love alone can’t fix, no matter how many fairy tales say otherwise.

But we continue to pursue and strive for love. It baffles me that anything could be worth all this trouble, but I know it is because I’ve felt it. The feeling of being with someone you love who loves you back is incredible. People write songs about it, make fools of themselves for it, even die for it. Loving and being loved in return is worth it.

But I’ve learned most of what I think love should be from my cat.

Love shouldn’t be complicated. It should be as simple as spending a day at home with my cat: food, some attention, and falling asleep beside each other.