Is it wrong that I’m single?

As of 2023, the single rate in the United States is 40%. The pace of life is accelerating, and besides work, we may encounter various problems, such as unrequited love or not reciprocating someone’s affections. After being together for a long time, passion fades, and all that’s left are arguments and disagreements. We leave each other. I think about getting a pet; at least it won’t leave me. Unless the neighbors feed it better than I do, it won’t yell at me daily, except when it needs to go out or relieve itself. It wags its tail when I open the door, and playing with it in an open space for a while feels like enough exercise.

As we grow older, we feel increasingly lonely. We spend most of our time taking care of children, sending them to classes, grocery shopping, cooking, and dealing with daily chores. We become bag carriers, drivers, nannies, and take on various other roles. I wonder, am I still myself? I miss the days of eating junk food and playing games with a few close friends. I also miss going to the cinema to watch a heartwarming movie. I really enjoy carrying a backpack and camping in places where mountains meet water, experiencing nature.

People’s love changes over time. As children, we receive love – from parents, teachers, and elders. As we mature, we give more love. When raising a puppy, you want to take care of it. You buy canned food, vitamins, and various flavored dog food. You treat it like a child. When you’re unhappy, it lies by your side; your mood really affects it. When you’re happy, it nuzzles you and plays with you. When it’s sick, you seek medical help everywhere, and it looks at you quietly and helplessly with those eyes – it’s really hard not to love it. Sleeping while hugging it at night is so comfortable, like a natural big blanket. It’s just that its snoring often wakes me up, and I sometimes want to kick it off. Sometimes it really gets fur all over my mouth.

Sometimes love can lead to over-attention. For example, with my dog, hoping it stays strong and healthy, I started blindly feeding it meat, bones, and canned food. Sometimes I’d give it whatever I was eating when it came over. This caused it to vomit and have diarrhea frequently. I slowly learned that some breeds genetically can’t eat everything, and secondly, the feeding amount shouldn’t be too large. Pets don’t know when they’re full; they’re just greedy. They want to eat anything tasty, regardless of whether they can digest it. So I decided to buy an automatic feeder for portioned, scientific feeding. No need to worry about overfeeding. And when I’m away on short business trips, I don’t need to trouble others, like pet stores or neighbors. I can observe its condition through video, though if I notice it’s unwell, I’ll still leave the key with family or neighbors to check on it – it’s definitely my baby.

Life passes by in just a few decades, and dogs and cats only live for about ten years. I sometimes feel anxious about when they’ll leave me, wondering if I’ll cry uncontrollably. They’re truly my family, friends, children. They provide real emotional value. No matter the ups and downs in my life, they’re always by my side. Although they’re just passing through my life, I don’t want to forget them. I think we should treat them well while they’re alive, cherish every day. Even after they’re gone, I’ll keep their photos at home, because I truly love them.