Traits of an Easy Relationship

These are the traits of the easiest relationship I have ever been in.

Starting the relationship was quick and easy. There were no awkward silences or wayward glances, because we just started making out and that was that.

He had no expectations of me, so my job was very easy: to live in the moment and have fun.

To the public, we didn't appear to be dating, if we appeared in public at all.

We never bought each other food.

We didn’t see each other on Valentine’s Day.

I never told him when I was sad, probably because I rarely was. I was in an easy relationship, for crying out loud! How could I be sad?

I never told him I loved him or trusted him, because I did neither. The feeling was mutual.

He worked full time in a pathetic job, but I didn’t give him crap for it. (That is, not until he thought it would be a good idea to tell an aspiring teacher how worthless he found teaching and learning to be.)

I didn’t buy him a birthday present, because he never invited me.

And, as quickly as it started, it ended, with no dramatic goodbye scene.

Fun.

Easy.

Over.

And, after it was over, I often wondered why I was ever in such a meaningless relationship.

Happy or sad? (Or a bit of both?)

In this video, a man saves one puppy from freezing to death after being abandoned in a dump. Sadly, there is a second puppy, and she does not survive.

I am focusing on this video for my next writing project. When choosing a topic to write about, I would recommend finding a concept that doesn't make you feel like you're losing your sense of humanity.

Clearly, the video's creator wanted the video to be more uplifting than depressing.

Wings or Legs?

Spiders that do not spin webs end up carrying their young on their back. Of course, you would not want me to carry anything because you carry nothing. As a result, you have nothing. You weigh nothing.

Spiders spend most of their lives hiding. Why would such a powerful predator have such groundless fears?

Flies, on the other hand, do not hide. They live short lives, they don’t plan far ahead, and they carry nothing. And so, as their name suggests, they can fly.

A spider could join a fly if she carried two wings instead of eight legs. But, she can’t force wings out of her body, even if she believes it’s the right thing to do.

The closest she’s ever come to flying was in her juvenile days as a spiderling. Since then, she’s grown and shed so many skins and has been left vulnerable a countless number of times. Her success and size are proof of the number of times she’s been left alone and defenseless.

But, let’s not worry over worthless scenarios. Everyone knows that spiders would never join flies because they eat them. And, I know that female spiders eat their mates.

And I’ll be damned if I let myself have any less resolve and strength than a spider.

The Cruelty of Next Week

As a writer, I have thoughts that people tell me I shouldn't have. I'm not supposed to think about what if, I'm supposed to focus on what is.

However, it is an artist's job to create. I believe we all struggle with this.

So, I wonder about what I’m not supposed to wonder about. For example, what if I were to die next week? Realistically speaking, I will be alive and well in a week’s time.

(But, what if?)

What if you were going to die, next week?

Maybe you don’t have enough money to travel very far. Maybe, luckily, there are people nearby who you’d like to visit.

Maybe there is someone dear to you with whom you’ve always wanted to spend as much time as possible. Now, your time is limited in a very tangible way.

But, what if they didn’t have time for you? Limited as it may be, it is a waste to invest time in the soon-to-be deceased. Perhaps you are asking too much? Have you considered how difficult it is for that person to have to witness you dying? Are you worth it?

Fortunately, there are others, people who love you unconditionally, and they have time for you. Even if you insist that they needn’t, they find it unquestionable, nonnegotiable, that they see you. They will stay with you until the very end, and you are very grateful.

But it’s cruel that, close to the end, you find yourself missing the person who had no time for you. You won’t contaminate the kindness of those present with your feelings, and you won’t inconvenience the one you miss by requesting their presence.

Instead, you’ll suffer silently, until it no longer matters.