Cat, Dog, Coffee and Chocolate. I think these are the basics to determining if you have anything in common with a person. Or if you will even like them. Now, if you are a psychiatrist dealing with a serial killer, I don’t think it will help the matter but for basic friendship, I may be on to something.

I happen to like all four. Some more than others at various times of day. Like when the dog wakes me up at six on a Saturday morning – bottom of the list. And I am not a big cat person just because I don’t want to turn into that lady in the GOT MILK? commercial. You know the one. She runs out of milk and tries to feed the cats the non-dairy creamer with water. And all you see is a cat paw locking the door. Shivers down my spine. But I found my cat in an avocado tree on Labor Day. And no one claimed him so as my mom so blatantly put it, “Guess you have a cat.”

But I have friends that only like one of the four. But they have to like at least one. I have a friend that doesn’t like dogs. I can’t understand it, I don’t try to understand it. But she likes cats, coffee and chocolate. So we are friends.

Now if a person only likes cats out of the list of four, I am running in the opposite direction (and I think you should do the same).

My mother doesn’t like chocolate. I can’t understand it, I don’t try to understand it. But she likes cats, dogs and coffee. So she may remain my mother.

My brother-in-law doesn’t really like cats or dogs. I can’t understand it, I don’t try to understand it. But he likes coffee and chocolate. So he may remain my brother-in-law.

Friendships can be so complex. I am just stripping it down to the basic four ingredients. Oh, one last bit of advice – stay away from “the only like cat” people.

So what are you? Like Cats? Dogs? Coffee? Chocolate?