(Sarasota, FL) A grateful manatee rescued from a beach where it was stranded by receding waters due to hurricane Irma has said it plans to live life to the fullest from now on after being given a second chance by some thoughtful Floridians.

Describing it’s brush with death as a wake up call, it plans to reduce the number of hours it spends asleep drifting submerged in the ocean down from 12 to a biologically recommended 7-9 and use the extra awake time to spend more hours grazing for better quality plant food, maybe even catching a fish or two to see what that’s like.

Despite having lived as a solitary sea creature for all forty years of its life so far, it plans to try harder to socialize with other manatees during its remaining decades, and may even hang out with some open-minded dolphins. More sex is definitely on the cards too according to the herbivorous marine mammal, given it’s new-found joie de vivre.

Following it’s brief encounter with humans, the manatee said it encourages them to also sleep an appropriate amount and take work and politics less seriously so they can enjoy good food and good company, because life is just too short.