IWSG: March 2025

 It's the first Wednesday of the month, so it's time for the Insecure Writers Support Group!

The awesome co-hosts for the March 5 posting of the IWSG are Ronel Janse Van Vuuren, Pat Garcia, and Liza @ Middle Passages!

This month's question is an interesting one!

If for one day you could be anyone or *thing* in the world, what would it be? Describe, tell why, and any themes, goals, or values they/it inspire in you.

It's going to sound weird, but I think I'd like to spend a day as my cat.

From my, albeit limited, perspective, she has the perfect life.

She always has food in her bowl and clean water to drink and doesn't need to do anything to get it. It's just always there. Maybe a little later than she'd like on some days, but most days, the bowl gets filled at 5:30am and she has the luxury of not sharing that food with anyone else. She can leave it there all day, popping in now and then to snack on a bite or two, or she can wolf down half the bowl in one sitting and know there will still be some left for later.

She sleeps for much of the day, moving between patches of sunlight, shady bushes, and in the evening, my lap. And then, exhausted by a day of sleeping in interesting locales, she snuggles up in bed for a good night's sleep with my partner and me.

In between naps, she likes to patrol the fence around our property, checking that everything is secure and the only other cats allowed on the property are ones she sanctions. There are three - a very pretty ginger tomcat we call Marmadude, a gray cat that likes to sneak inside if the doors are open, and a black one with a heart-shaped blotch on its white nose.

Marmadude acts like a suitor, coming around for my cat's affections. She just hisses at him and dives through the cat door. He sits outside, pining and blocking the way so she can't come back outside. The other two are less frequent visitors and tend to just pass through on their way to other exotic neighborhood locations.

It would be so nice to spend a day with nothing more pressing to do than find the perfect spot to sleep. And to sleep so much. I probably only get about 4 - 5 hours' sleep a night, so the idea of spending as much time napping as the cat does is very appealing.

And who doesn't want to be able to spring nimbly up trees and onto fences with the grace of a ballet dancer? Or to be showered with love and affection by everyone who comes into your orbit? But only on your own terms... If you don't feel like being loved, you can give the person offering the cold shoulder and just walk away without any ill effect or hurt feelings to contend with.

I think that's what I love the most about my cat. The way she can be both the most snuggly, loving little furball, and the world's coldest bitch - usually within the same 10-minute period - and still have everything she values in life at her fingertips.

What or who would you like to be for a day?