Jessica Smith’s YouTube fitness channel has a sad announcement.

Peanut is no more.

Peanut was a dog that used to walk around Jessica as she did her workouts. Peanut exuded a Zen calm. She never looked upset, out of breath or huffy. Peanut ambled around the yoga mat even as Jessica and I sweated and pushed harder.

Today, Peanut died at age eleven.

I know Peanut is “just” a dog, and one I have never even touched.

However, I do a Jessica workout at least five times a week, and seeing Peanut always made me feel better. Peanut had a very non-judgy face. Meeting Peanut everyday during the workout makes me miss her big time now.

If you do a Jessica workout, you’ll know what I mean.

My daughter is depressed about it, too. She never did any of my workouts, but she used to look out for Peanut.

In a world full of grief, where everyone is dying and Covid surges, did we need this depressing thing to happen?

Now I’m not just upset my YouTube trainer’s dog died, I’m upset at myself for being upset about a dog on a screen who’s now dead.

It will be awful to do a workout of Jessica’s where Jessica is solitary, and to have a dead Peanut buried in the garden outside Jessica’s house.

Sheesh.