Chebet Ronoh has shared that she learned and experienced the true concept of love through her dog and a longtime friend from high school.
Chebet explained that this realisation came during her early 20s, a time when she struggled emotionally.
“I learnt and experienced the concept of love through my dog and a long-time friend called Celine from high school,” she said on Tuesday, January 13, 2026.
She said these were two individuals she often pushed away.
“In my early 20s, these are 2 individuals I pushed away; a lot,” Chebet said.
She explained that while she was present and intentional, she was rarely consistent because she viewed them as “too calm.”
According to her, their calm nature felt unfamiliar at the time.
Learning that peace is not boring
Chebet said both her dog and Celine relaxed her nervous system in ways she had not explored before. She said this happened while she was dealing with active addiction and very toxic relationships.
“They seemed suspiciously too good or boring,” she said.
However, she clarified that this was never the reality.
“Don’t get me wrong, they are far from that (we laugh a lot), but I thought peace was boring,” she said.
She added that she once believed love had to be painful or intense to matter.
“I thought love was supposed to hurt or be exhilarating to matter, lol,” Chebet said.
She explained that looking back, this belief now feels almost laughable.
“The nervous system in survival mode outweighs all logic and reasoning,” she said, reflecting on that period of her life.
Chebet said that without ever speaking, her dog and her friend taught her important lessons about love.
“Love doesn’t require self-erasure,” she added.
She explained that whenever she did something they did not approve of, they would leave or self-contain without projecting onto her.
“They never projected on me or made me regulate them,” she said.
She also said she learned that safety does not come from obedience or compliance.
“Safety just is,” Chebet said.
She added that they never made her work for safety because they were simply safe. According to her, this showed respect for her autonomy and needs as a person.
