This is Sheriff Peanut Butter Brickle.  Oh, the art of a first impression.  Seeing me everyday is pretty much always like a first impression.  Because at first, you think, wow, I have not ever been privileged to see a dog that handsome.  Then you realize that maybe you have met me before.  But then seeing me again is like the first time.  I get it.  I sympathize with that.

But as great as a first impression I give, Deputy Digby may need to work on his a bit.

As you know, every day is Hump Day to Digby.  No matter where we are, what we are doing or how much he embarrasses the persons.  Not my monkey. Not my circus.  Don’t go to the circus by the way.  But.  That’s another story.  As we were walking on the beach last night, finally without any rain, we saw many shells.  Many beautiful shells washed up from the big storms.  We even got to meet some crabs and say hello.

But as were walking, out of nowhere, we saw a bubble on the sand.  A kind of balloon looking creature I suppose that you could say.  And Girl Person thought that it was fake.  How could something be this beautiful?  She had been in this Florida place for a very long time.  And this was a first time for her seeing such a sight.

Have you ever looked at something so gorgeous that it doesn’t seem real?  Obviously, the answer is yes.

So, as Girl Person always does, she thinks that something needs her help.  Here this beautiful creature was, who Girl Person thought was a jellyfish, that she decided needed rescuing.  Trying to keep Digby and I away from it wasn’t an easy task as she found a stick, waded into the ocean, and guided it back in.  But folks?  This was not a jellyfish. This creature’s name was Man O’ War.  That is not a jellyfish.

Now.  I am all about learning.  I am all about beauty.  I am all about learning how beautiful I am.

But this was a new one to all of us.  After watching the news that evening, and telling Boy Person about a beautiful jellyfish, it became apparent that the jellyfish was actually a Man O’ War that had been washed up from the big storm.  Also, we learned that he could sting you for even three weeks after being beached.  Also, we learned that we still would have done the same thing to help him.

You may wonder why anyone would try and help a creature that could harm them.  You may wonder if in fact it is worth the trouble.  Worth your time.  But what if someone felt the same way about you?  What if you needed help some day?  What if others had to put themselves out to help you, or stop in traffic? What if no one cared, but just walked by?  Have you ever been in that situation?  Did you ever feel like a Man O’ War beached on the ocean’s sand?

Because everything plays a role in how our earth and our world functions, nothing is less important just because it can be harmful to something else.  But we have to respect it.  They are just trying to survive, as we all are.

The ocean and the water and the sand have a way of making you reflect on life, and how much each life means.  You see, when it comes down to it, who is scarier?  A Man O’ War or persons ruining the earth?  Who of us is in too much of a hurry to stop and help a crab get back into the waves?  Who of us is in too much of a hurry to help a Man O’ War?  Who of us is in too much of a hurry to look at me?  Slow down.

You see, the first impression of this beautiful creature on the ocean made us stop.  It made us appreciate.  Let your first impression to something that needs your help be the most important impression that you can give.  Otherwise, one day we will miss the creatures we are scared of when their beauty is gone.  And we don’t want that to ever happen.

-Sheriff Peanut Butter Brickle

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