Charlie is our dog.

Charlie is a lot of things to a lot of people in our home. He is Amanda’s child, Grayson’s companion, my friend, and Andie’s husband (Andie and Charlie recently had a wedding ceremony, using a hairband as a ring. They plan to go to McDonald’s for the honeymoon.)

Of all the roles that Charlie plays in our home, the one in which I admire the most is….Charlie is Charlie.

Charlie is undoubtedly, under any circumstances, without fail, 100% of the time, Charlie. He is the dog that he is, and he makes no attempt to conceal it, and offers no apologies for it. I can learn a lot from my furry friend.

Charlie is extremely loving and gentle. He doesn’t get caught up in what it means to be “manly”, so he wears his heart on his sleeve. When he is sad, he communicates it. When Charlie is scared, he shakes, and he looks for consolation. When he is tired, he sleeps. When hungry, he eats. And, when energetic, he plays.

Charlie doesn’t feel guilty for sleeping too much, or question if he plays too often. He doesn’t beat himself up if he has too much to eat, and has no body image issues at all, whatsoever. He gossips about no one and bases his trust on only his personal experiences. He lives in the present, and enjoys as much of it as he can.

Fashion is no an issue for Charlie, and he is content with what he has. He doesn’t want “more”, or “newer”, or more “popular”. He has all that he needs, and with the exception of food and nurturing, believes he has plenty. He has no ill wishes for anyone, and is sure to keep his mind only on his business.

Sure, Charlie gets angry and sometimes gets his feelings hurt, but he is usually quick to forgive and never attacks too aggressively. He puts things behind him, and is always willing to make a fresh start. Charlie doesn’t hold grudges. He takes things at face value, and doesn’t create scenarios or make problems out of nothing.

How smart is Charlie? It’s hard to say for sure, but I feel like he is plenty intelligent. He doesn’t spend a lot of useless energy arguing the facts, and trying to spit out information which would make him seem knowledgeable. Charlie is aware that the most intelligent people in the room don’t spend time trying to convince people that they are intelligent….because they are more intelligent than that. Charlie knows that this is not important.

Charlie is not into politics. He knows that an email, an argument, or a facebook post is almost never persuasive and almost always ends in opposition (Most humans know this too, but we can’t resist the drama). Sexual preference, religion, income, and race have little effect on Charlie, and he has formed no prejudice.

Everyday is a new day for Charlie. Easily amused and always up for anything, he is interested in life and what it has to offer. He takes every opportunity to make the most out of each experience. Over-analyzing and worry has no place in Charlie’s world, and everyone is free to be themselves, whomever that might be on that particular day. His choice is freedom and his spirit is inclusive. His mantra is love and his heart is full and open.

There are many arguments to be made about how I form my opinions on Charlie. Maybe he is just a dog, and has not the faculties to feel differently about certain things. Maybe there is a lack of logic, which only allows him to behave certain ways. Maybe these are not necessarily qualities and simply characteristics. However, at the end of the day, none of that is really important. Charlie is a good dog, and Charlie is….

….unapologetically Charlie.

Peace, Love, and all things Beef related,

Beefcake