This is Deputy Digby Pancake. I woke up this morning and I thought, wow…I’m really hungry. Ok. That was yesterday morning and the morning before that too. And the year before that. You catch my drift.
Anyway. When Girl Person was making our breakfast like she does every morning of eggies and crackers and yes, sometimes pancakes, I looked at the plate. Yes, the portion was meant to be split between Sheriff Brickle and myself. But I thought, since I was so hungry, I sure would like to eat his portion too. I go bonkers for breakfast!
As Girl Person stepped away from the plate to get something, I thought about it. Sheriff Brickle was sleeping. I could gulp his portion and mine in just one extra bite. But. Should I? I had every right to as a hungry, hungry, boy. But was it right?
Seems like Girl Person had the same dilemma later in the morning too. No. She didn’t try to take Boy Person’s breakfast. But a different sort of dilemma. As she was doing a load of laundry, a family was also doing their laundry too. A really big family.
There were three washing machines. They took all three.
But they were done washing pretty quick and they put their clothes in the dryers. Girl Person was able to start her own laundry. But she tells me that the dryer takes longer than a washing machine. So you always have to wait a few more minutes for people to take them out. She hates waiting.
But wait she did. And as she sat there, she thought of all the things she could be doing. Making me lunch…for one. I. Was. Hungry.
But time went by. And the dryers were done. Her clothes in the washing machine had been done way before that too. But now, there was no family here to get their clothes out of the dryer. They weren’t back in time. And she really needed to get her other stuff done.
At first, she tried to think positive. Oh, they were sure to be back in a second. So she waited. That second passed. She thought, maybe she would give it five more minutes. And then, well, if they weren’t back, that’s when she would take their clothes out of the dryer! After all, they were in the wrong. After all, there was no law saying she couldn’t touch someone’s clothes. After all, it would be their own fault if she had to sit their clean clothes on a dirty table. After all…she had every right to.
The longer she waited, the harder it was not to take out their clothes. Fifteen minutes passed. She wondered, were they ever coming back? She was feeling pretty sorry for herself.
She thought of how she would feel though if she forgot and came back to her clean clothes now dirty. And now, how she would wonder if the person that touched them was sick. It was not nice.
So she waited, and yes, when it seemed like they never would, they came back. They didn’t say a word. They took their clothes out of the dryer, totally oblivious to the turmoil they had caused in Girl Person’s mind. And they left. Not even knowing what inner battle she had fought.
As Girl Person put her own clothes in the dryer after making note of the time, she thought about it. Certainly they weren’t appreciative of her decision. She wasn’t going to get any thanks. But she felt good with what she decided.
It’s like that in our world now. We may think that we have a right to do things we are told could be harmful to others. Like going out to pawty. Like not washing our hands. Like not covering our mouth when we cough or sneeze. Or that we have a right to take all the supplies we can get our paws on. And maybe you do have that right. But can you live with your actions?
Is it more important to do something you feel you are entitled to do, or is it more important to be kind? It’s up to you. The clothes are dry. What will you do?
–Deputy Digby Pancake
